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The MDW drill pads will require reopening of previously disturbed and reclaimed drill <br />roads as previously discussed. The roads would be maintained at a 14- foot width. <br />Disturbance of land for road and drill pad construction will be confined to azeas approved <br />for construction. No brush or tree removal is anticipated on the access route, however if <br />trees are required to be felled, then MCC will contact the USFS District Ranger or his <br />representative to establish payment for the resource. Drill pads of approximately 200 ft. x <br />200 ft. will be constructed to accommodate the drill equipment and drill cuttings sump or <br />mud pits. Drill pads will be constructed only as large as necessary. Topsoil will be <br />stripped, stockpiled, and identified with a sign to be used in the reclamation phase of the <br />program. Mudpits to accommodate drill cuttings will be constructed with an approximate <br />size of 10' x 20' x 6'. <br />Water for the drilling operations will be pumped to the drill sites from portable tanks <br />using high pressure hose. Alternatively, water may be transported to the drill sites with <br />mobile water carriers. Mountain Coal Company L.L.C. owns water rights for these water <br />resources. MCC may place portable stock tanks near the drill sites and maintain a <br />minimum water level in the tanks to insure water is available for stock and wildlife. This <br />will reduce the risk of stock and wildlife approaching the mudpits for water. <br />DRILLING ACTIVITIES <br />Drilling activities for the proposed methane drainage wells will include mobilizing drill <br />equipment to the sites and drilling and setting approximately 40 feet of 16 inch surface <br />casing into bedrock. The holes will typically be rotary drilled with a 15 inch bit to within <br />250 feet of the B-Seam, then cased with 10 3/4 ID steel casing, then an 9 7/8 inch hole <br />will be drilled to within 20-50 feet of the B-Seam in the "relaxed zone". The 9 7/8" drill <br />hole will be cased with a 7 5/8 slotted casing. It is anticipated that one or more wells <br />could be drilled from some of the pads where access is limited. <br />Up to 10 vertical exploration hole may be drilled during the course of the project. <br />Exploration holes will be logged for geophysical pazameters and the MDW holes maybe <br />logged as needed. <br />METHANE DRAINAGE INSTALLATION <br />Methane drainage of the longwall panels would be accomplished by extending a non- <br />metal stack to the surface casing, attaching a lightning arrestor to it and venting to the <br />ambient atmosphere, combined with a trailer or skid mounted gas exhauster, flame <br />arrestor, valves, and non-metal stack with lightning arrestor that would exhaust the gases <br />to the ambient atmosphere. The trailer would be totally enclosed with fencing and locked <br />to protect and prevent persons from tampering with the equipment. The equipment would <br />need to be approved and inspected as required by the Mine Safety and Health <br />Administration (MSHA). <br />