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III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE <br />This was an aerial inspection of the West Elk Mine based on photos taken Friday, February <br />7, 2003. The weather was clear. Active mining is going on, although the minesite itself <br />was relatively quiet. Drilling activity at the remote degas sites has ceased for the winter. <br />The facilities area slope appeared stable, with no mass movement at least since the snow <br />cover was deposited. The coal stockpiles were large. All the facilities area ponds were iced <br />over and snow-covered - FW-1, MB-01, MB-02, MB-03. <br />The lower refuse pile (LRP) was covered completely with snow. There was no obvious signs <br />of movement or erosion. <br />The North soil storage area likewise showed no signs of instability. There, the south-facing <br />slopes of the topsoil piles were without snow cover. The NSSA pond also was iced over or <br />filled with snow. <br />The refuse pile expansion area (RPE) was snow covered. It appeared as if no loads had <br />been deposited on the pile since the most recent snowfall. Both cells of the RPE pond were <br />show-covered. <br />The Sylvester Gulch road was in good condition. The topsoil and subsoil piles along the <br />Sylvester Gulch corridor all appears stable. <br />