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West 1'slk Mine have extended under the National Forest land on some of their Federal leases. MCC experienced a thermal event in the underground mine workings in January 2000. MCC was authorized at that time to access National Forest System Lands (NFSL) to install boreholes into the underground workings in order to remedy the situation (project file). ;fhe Thermal Event Drilling Project resulted in about 8 acres of surface disturbance on NFSL, which MCC is required to restore to original condition. MCC :submitted an Application for a Special Use Permit (SUP) on May 31, 2000 in respon;>e to the anticipated occupancy of NFSL for monitoring, maintenance and reclamation activities associated with the thermal event drilling. The Mining, Safety and Health administration (MSHA) is requiring this monitoring during the mining of the adjacent longwali panel, 13A. Mining I3A is anticipated to start in summer 2000, az~d continue through February 2001. It is anticipated that MCC will need to occupy the surface for about one year to account for final reclamation activities. III. PROPOSED ACTION The proposed action is to allow MCC to occupy NFSL in order to: 1) proceed with reclaiming and restoring NFSL disturbed during the thermal event drilling, and to establish GMUG requirements for the restoration, 2) maintain boreholes for the purposes of monitoring gas and water levels in the underground mine and for water injection purposes, and 3) maintain a water pipeline across NFSL for water delivery to the drilling locations. MCC was informed of the GMUG requirements for restoring the land to original condition at the time of their authorization to proceed with the thermal event drilling (project file). Any disturbed lands (including drill pads, access routes, staging or storage azea) will be returned to approximate original contour, seeded with a Forest Service- approvedseed mix, mulched and fertilized. Existing Forest Service roads that were used and upgraded by MCC will not be maintained at the upgraded level, but rather will be allowed to degenerate to their pre-project condition. Where road widening has occurred, berms will be pulled back onto the road, and any turnouts smoothed. Disturbed areas adjacent to roads will also be seeded, mulched and fertilized. Drill sites that do not have a borehole needed for monitoring will be reclaimed immediately. For the boreholes that aze needed for monitoring, final reclamation will occur once they are not needed. The well heads will be cut offand the boreholes plugged according to State standards. The land surface will be restored as described above. Likewise, the water pipeline will be removed from the azea, along with any other equipment used at the site by MCC.