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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 area covers approximately 9,696.3 acres. The bond release area consists <br />of 5.5 acres of private land as shown on a map in the bond release application titled "Lone Pine <br />Ventilation Reclaim Areas". <br />Dollar Amount of Bond 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 $11,464,325. MCC is requesting release of $122,629 <br />of reclamation bond. The West Elk Mine has had one previous bond release, SL-1. <br />II. SUMMARY OF THE BOND RELEASE PROCESS <br />Reclamation History of Bond Release Area <br />Coal mining in the West Elk Mine pennit azea began prior to 1979. Mining disturbance in the bond <br />release area occurred on the following five sepazate pazcels: the Lone Pine ventilation fan portal <br />azea, the development waste pile, the former topsoil stockpile, the pipeline corridor, and the former <br />electrical substation. The fan facility was constructed in 1995 to serve as the primazy ventilation <br />facility for the West Elk Mine workings. The fan facility was taken out of service in 2000 after a <br />thermal event occurred in the workings. Reclamation in the bond release area began in 1996 with <br />reclamation of the 1.0-acre waste development refuse pile. The majority of the reclamation of the <br />bond release azea was conducted in 2001 and 2002. The access road connecting the five parcels in <br />the bond release area will remain as a permanent feature as it is apre-existing ranch road that a land <br />owner, DLH Trust - Lazy H Ranch, has requested be retained. <br />Submittal of Bond Release Analication and <br />Comaleteness Determination by the Division <br />The Division received MCC's bond release application SL-2 on July 26, 2004, found the application <br />incomplete on July 30, 2004, and notified the applicant of the need to add certain items to the <br />proposed public notice and the bond release application. The Division found the application <br />complete on September 13, 2004 after the applicant provided the requested items, and after the <br />Division received proof of publication of the applicant's public notice. The completeness <br />determination was made in accordance with 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 RerardinQ Selected Coal Mine <br />Bond Release Issues, dated April 18, 1995. <br />2 <br />