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CMA <br />November 21, 2006 <br />Page 3 of 4 <br />To ensure that gas flow from the producing zone is effectively sealed off and to ensure that a <br />cement plug can be placed at the lowest point inside the well casing, MCC has designed and <br />developed an effective technique for completing and abandoning the wells. MCC and their <br />contractor (Lang Exploratory Drilling) have developed a rubber bridge plug that is allowed to <br />free-fall from the ground surface to its final resting point inside the well casing. This <br />abandonment methodology is unique to MCC's methane drainage well design. MCC utilizes <br />telescoping casing with smaller diameter casing at the bottom of the hole. The design is a cased <br />hole completion with a floating perforated casing below the solid cased portion of the well. The <br />rubber bridge plug falls into place at the point where the smaller diameter perforated casing <br />begins just above the gas producing zone sealing off gas migration potential. In many instances, <br />the well casing is damaged (bent or cracked) from subsidence due to retreat of the longwall <br />panel. In these cases, the free-falling bridge plug is still effective in that it falls into place to the <br />lowest point possible in the well casing. <br />Excellence in Achieving Final Reclamation and Phase 3 Bond Release <br />Energy Fuels Mining Company -Raton Creek Mine <br />P.O. Box 459 <br />Florence, CO 81226 <br />Contact: Mr. George Patterson <br />719-784-6395 <br />The Raton Creek mine was an underground operation located outside of Trinidad Colorado in the <br />foothills below Fischer's Peak in Las Animas County. Post-mining, the site presented many <br />difficult challenges including reclamation of a processing waste pile, south-facing steep slopes, <br />and poor soils in an arid environment. The post mining land use for the azea is rangeland to <br />support cattle grazing by the landowner. The single sediment pond is approved to remain as a <br />permanent impoundment to benefit the end land use. The seed mix used was cazefully selected <br />to include introduced species to benefit grazing plans while also incorporating native, wazm <br />season species capable of long-term self-regeneration. The revegetated area demonstrated an <br />ability to survive and ultimately flourish after one on the worst droughts in modem times in <br />2002. Through the cooperation of the landowner and his family, the site was reclaimed and <br />revegetated to meet the applicable standazds for Phase III bond release, approved in early 2006. <br />Also worthy of note is the excellent cooperation between the landowner, the operator, and the <br />Division during the 10-yeaz revegetation liability period. Through cazeful cooperation between <br />the three parties, grazing was carefully planned and conducted to avoid conflicts with <br />revegetation efforts and vegetation sampling. Successful implementation of the land use during <br />the liability period not only benefits the revegetation effort but also provides the landowner <br />productive use of the reclaimed azea. <br />Excellence in Achieving Final Reclamation and Phase 3 Bond Release <br />Hayden Gulch Terminal, Inc. -Hayden Gulch Mine <br />