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.> 2.05.3 Operation Plan - Permit Area <br />Production Methods and Equipment <br />Sunbelt has selected its mining procedures on the basis of past <br />underground mining operations, the nature of the overburden, and the <br />structural setting of the coal seams. Each phase of the underground <br />mining has been scheduled so that all equipment can be operated in <br />situations suitable to their design capabilities. The overall operation <br />plan is designed to flow logically from entry development through pillar <br />extraction upon retreat. The plan is designed to maximize coal recovery <br />and minimize environmental disturbances. <br />Sunbelt is planning to mine the A Coal Seam using the underground mining <br />method of room and pillar mining. The projected mine plan is shown on <br />the Mine Plan Map (Map 8). <br />• Room and pillar mining has been used at the Peacock Coal Mine for many <br />years, and this method of mining has proven to be very effective and <br />efficient for recovery of coal reserves. <br />The initial mining will begin with the stabilization of the existing <br />workings of the Peacock Coal Mine. Roof support and ventilation will be <br />reestablished to provide access into the remaining coal reserves. <br />The mining will commence from the outcrop of the A Coal Seam with some <br />new development entries being driven to complement the existing entries <br />found in the Peacock Coal Mine. The main entries will be developed <br />utilizing conventional mining techniques with the rooms on 60-foot <br />centers and 18-feet wide. The main entries will proceed from the <br />surface slightly up-dip. Panel development areas will extend from the <br />mains as shown on the Mine Plan Map (Map 8). The mine entries will be <br />the main access for men and equipment into the operation, provide for <br />ventilation intake and exhaust, and provide for conveyor haulage of the <br />• coal out from the mine. <br />2.05-2 <br />