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Land and Coal Ownershia of the Bond Release Area <br />Land and coal ownership in the bond release azea is private and federal. <br />Lands included in the Bond Release Request <br />The West Elk Mine is an underground coal mine utilizing continuous miner and longwall methods. <br />The West Elk Mine permit azea covers approximately 9,696.3 acres. The bond release azea consists <br />of 15 acres of land as shown on a map in the bond release application titled "Thermal Event Reclaim <br />Areas". <br />Dollar Amouut of Boud Release Request <br />The Division currently holds a reclamation bond in the amount of $11,500,000. The remaining <br />reclamation liability at the West Elk Mine is $11,462,705. MCC is requesting release of$79,727 of <br />reclamation bond. The West Elk Mine has had no previous bond releases. <br />II. SUMMARY OF THE BOND RELEASE PROCESS <br />Reclamation History of Bond Release Area <br />Coal mining in the West Elk Mine permit azea began prior to 1979. Mining disturbance in the bond <br />release azea consisted of drill pads, drillholes, and roads that were constructed in response to a <br />thermal event that occun•ed in the underground workings of the West Elk Mine in 2000. Drillholes in <br />the bond release area were sealed in 2000. The drillhole pads and access roads were regraded in <br />2000. The regraded azeas were topsoiled and seeded in 2001. No items are approved for permanent <br />retention in the bond release area. <br />Submittal of Bond Release Application and <br />Completeness Determination by the Division <br />The Division received MCC's bond release application SL-1 on July 19, 2004, found the application <br />incomplete on July 27, 2004, and notified the applicant of the need to notify additional parties as <br />required by Rule 3.03.2(1). The Division found the application complete on September 13, 2004 <br />after the applicant notified the additional parties, and after the Division received proof of publication <br />of the applicant's public notice. The completeness determination was made in accordance with <br />Section 3.03.2(1)(d). <br />MCC submitted the bond release application following the procedures described in the Act and the <br />Regulations. The application also utilizes the Division's Guideline Retarding Selected Coal Mine <br />Bond Release Issues, dated April 18, 1995. <br />