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new F-seam submain (Northwest Submain) would be driven in <br />. the NW1/4 of Section 16 and three panels (1S, 2S, and 3S) <br />would be mined, mostly in the SW1/4 of Section 16, using <br />room and pillar mining methods with partial pillar <br />extraction on retreat. The other modifications include <br />deletion of a mining area because of adverse geologic <br />conditions and reorientation of the panels in another mining <br />area. <br />(2) Extension of underground mining operations into a <br />new, lower coal seam (i.e., the B seam). The B seam would <br />be mined using either longwall or room and pillar mining <br />methods. The 800-acre (approximate) B-seam mining area is <br />shown on the following map. Approximately 500 of these <br />acres would lie directly under the currently approved F-seam <br />workings. <br />(3) Expansion of the permit and mining plan approval <br />area (35.5 acres) in Federal lease C-1362 to accommodate the <br />main entries to the B-seam mining area. <br />Access to the B seam would be made by ramps from the edge of <br />existing underground F-seam workings. Ventilation shafts <br />also would be driven between the F-seam workings and the B- <br />seam workings, but not to the surface. B-seam mining <br />• activities would utilize existing F-seam access and surface <br />facilities. No new facilities would be required, but waste <br />material from development of the B-seam ramp and mining <br />areas would be added to the existing lower-refuse pile. <br />The F and B seams would be mined simultaneously until the <br />reserves in the F seam were depleted, then mining would only <br />occur in the B seam. When mining the F and B seams <br />simultaneously, the average production rate would reach the <br />2,800,000 tons per year that was originally approved for the <br />mine at full production. Production would drop to 2,000,000 <br />tons per year when mining only the B seam. Total Federal <br />recoverable coal reserves for the F and B seams within the <br />mining plan approval area would be about 32,000,000 tons <br />(12,000,000 in the F seam and 20,000,000 in the B seam). <br />WECC estimates an increase in the current workforce of about <br />40 employees to expand mining into the B seam. About 30 of <br />these new employees would be working underground. <br />With this proposed mining plan <br />plan area for the Mt. Gunnison <br />total of 3,536 acres including <br />mining plan area for Federal 1~ <br />D-044569. The approved permit <br />4,276 acres. <br />n <br />U <br />action, the approved mining <br />No., 1 mine would contain a <br />the previously approved <br />uses C-1362, C-0117192, and <br />area would contain a total of <br />4 <br />