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to the B Seam. The revision also included mining in the B Seam by room and pillar, as well <br /> as longwall mining methods. The 35.5-acre incidental boundary change was necessary to <br /> accommodate the B Seam main access entries. The Division subsequently issued a proposed <br /> decision to approve the revision on July 12, 1989. <br /> In 1990, the West Elk Mine began preparations to produce coal from the B Seam. Initially, <br /> room-and-pillar mining using a continuous miner was utilized to develop panels in the <br /> B Seam, for later removal using longwall methods. The B Seam will be mined using <br /> longwall methods during this permit term. Mining in the F Seam has been discontinued, <br /> until market conditions improve so that this seam can be economically mined. <br /> No major buildings, major structures, occupied dwellings, cemeteries, parks, railroads or <br /> highways overlay the coal to be mined. Two reservoirs lie close to the F Seam outcrop; <br /> however, neither is directly over the coal to be mined. <br /> Ventilation in the mine is provided by two fans. One is located in Sylvester Gulch and the <br /> other in Lone Pine Gulch. Power to the mine is supplied via existing lines of the Delta- <br /> Montrose Electric Association. At substations located in the main mine facilities area and in <br /> Lone Pine Gulch, the power is stepped down to serve the underground mine and to serve the <br /> surface facilities. <br /> Explosives at the mine are only occasionally used for underground construction purposes. <br /> Very little explosives are required for this purpose. West Elk does have an explosives <br /> magazine located on site. <br /> The West Elk Mine portals are situated at an approximate elevation of 6,450 feet. <br /> Run-of-mine coal is tra-isported from the production panels to the various surface facilities by <br /> a system of belt conveyors. A conveyor carries coal from inside the mine portal to the <br /> stacking tubes. From the stacking tubes, an underground conveyor reclaim system will <br /> transport the coal to the two crushers. A conveyor then moves the coal from the crushers to <br /> the two storage silos. A stacktube located to the east of the silos provides additional storage <br /> for product coal. A loadout conveyor carries coal from the storage silos to the over-the-track <br /> loadout. A portion of this conveyor is completely enclosed as it crosses the North Fork of <br /> the Gunnison River and Highway 133. Coal is primarily shipped from the West Elk Mine <br /> by rail; however, some coal is trucked from the mine or transferred to various handling or <br /> stockpile facilities on the mine site. <br /> Refuse at the mine is generated during underground construction activities and mining. <br /> Other sources of refuse material are contaminated coal spillage, sediment pond dredgings, <br /> and soils contaminated with non-hazardous materials. These other sources of refuse only <br /> make up a small amount of the refuse produced at the mine. Refuse is currently being <br /> disposed onto a permanent refuse pile called the Lower Refuse Disposal Area. An Upper <br /> Refuse Disposal Area has also been approved for construction, and has not been built. <br /> Before the pile can be constructed, MCC must address a number of stipulations. <br /> State Highway 133 provides the main access to the West Elk Mine. A haul road joins the <br /> highway east of the lower refuse pile and serves as the access to all facilities except the silo <br /> storage area. An old haul road accesses this area and other lower mine facilities, which is <br /> now considered an access road. Other access roads include the middle-mine facilities road <br /> 15 <br />