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West Elk Mine
<br />. shaft, one compartment for ventilation and the other for the hoist. This 700 feet deep, 26-
<br />foot diameter shaft is concrete lined.
<br />The E Seam workings are accessed from the existing slopes between the F and the B seams.
<br />The two slopes are separated by approximately 100 feet horizontally, and the portion of the
<br />slopes between the F and the E seams is approximately 1,000 feet long.
<br />Production Methods and Equipment
<br />Longwall technology is employed at West Elk Mine. The current longwall was acquired in
<br />1992 and updated over the years, although a good portion of the longwall equipment is
<br />original. MCC intends to extend the life of this longwall equipment to complete the mining
<br />planned for the B Seam. At that time a new longwall will be needed for mining the E Seam.
<br />Longwall panels are developed using conventional continuous mining methods. Several
<br />key pieces of equipment, including continuous miners, diesel-powered coal haulers, roof-
<br />bolters, feeder-breakers, and other support equipment are used to develop headgate,
<br />tailgate, and bleeder entries for the longwall panels.
<br />All coal is conveyed to the surface via conveyor systems. Other mining infrastructure
<br />includes electric power supply, water supply, water discharge, rock dust supply,
<br />compressed air supply, communications, mine monitoring, and other ancillary mining
<br />support systems. Associated surface facilities include main ventilation fans; mine
<br />dewatering installations; methane drainage systems; coal stockpiles; coal crushing,
<br />screening, and conveying systems; silos for coal storage; train loadout facilities;
<br />maintenance and warehouse facilities; office/bathhouse facilities; and various ancillary
<br />facilities.
<br />Coal Reserves and Recovery
<br />The West Elk Mine reserve base consists of mineable coal reserves in six Federal coal
<br />leases, one private lease, and other fee coal properties. The Federal leases are D-044569, C-
<br />0117192, COC-56447, COC-54558, C-1362, and COC-67011. The private lease is the Mt.
<br />Gunnison Fuel lease.
<br />Together, the seven coal leases and fee properties encompass about 15,500 acres. Federal
<br />(eases D-044569, C-0117192, COC-54558, COC-56447, C-1362, and COC-67011 account for
<br />1,380 acres, 923 acres, 1,012 acres, 2,770 acres, 4,836, and 690 acres, respectively. The
<br />private lease and fee coal covers the remaining 4,600 acres.
<br />Six major coal seams exist on MCC lease holdings. The seams are identified alphabetically
<br />with the "A Seam" being the lowermost and the F Seam the uppermost. The intervals between
<br />the seams vary from as little as 15 feet to more than 250 feet. Current and future economically
<br />minable coal reserves in these leases occur in two of the six seams (the E and B Seams). The B
<br />Seam has been mined and the E Seam is planned to be mined in Lease D-044569; the B Seam
<br />has been mined in Leases COC-54558 and C-0117192, where mining continues; the B Seam is
<br />1.05-3 Revised November 2009 PRII; Rev. Morcb 1006
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