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West Elk Mine <br />• The F Seam operations at West Elk Mine involved the room and pillar type mining method, which <br />utilized continuous miners, diesel face haulage, and electric roof bolters. This type of equipment <br />was the best suited for the conditions of the F Seam panels. The longwall mining method is utilized <br />in the B Seam and the E Seam. Panels are developed using continuous miner sections. Depending <br />on mazket conditions, two longwalls could be operated in these seams. Most coal mined at West <br />Elk Mine is marketed and shipped asran-of--mine product, i.e., it is not run through a prepazation <br />plant or washed. <br />The major surface disturbance at West Elk Mine is the main facilities area, including the portals, <br />coal handling facilities, support buildings, and refuse disposal azeas, methane drainage well pads <br />and roads, and the Sylvester Gulch Facilities Area. Since the mine is an underground mine, the <br />surface disturbance (approximately 200 acres at present) is small compazed to the permit azea <br />(approximately 15,573 acres with PRl l West Flatiron) and the life of mine azea (approximately <br />15,500 acres). <br />Some additional surface disturbance may occur in the future for ventilation, dewatering, and <br />methane drainage installations, refuse disposal, and other facilities necessary for continued mine <br />operations. Changes to the coal handling facilities required for the increased longwall production <br />included upgrading the run-of--mine conveyor belt to 60 inches wide, adding dual crushers and a <br />screening circuit at the breaker building, relocating the main haul road and water treatment plant, <br />and adding stacking tubes with underground reclaim systems. Descriptions of these new facilities <br />may be found in Section 2.05. The surface facilities will be reclaimed at the end of mining <br />• operations as later described. <br />For the purposes of this application, the following terms are used in the document as defined below: <br />1. Mine Plan Area (Boundary): Means the area of land and water within the boundaries of all <br />permit areas during the entire life of the coal mining and reclamation operations. It includes all <br />areas that aze or will be affected during the entire life of those operations. <br />2. Coal Lease Area (Boundarvl: Means the azea of land and water within the boundaries of all <br />permit areas during the entire life of the coal mining operations that overlie Federal coal leases <br />and privately owned coal, but which do not necessarily include lands disturbed by surface <br />operations in the permit area. This area is shown on Map 1. <br />3. Permit Area (Boundary): Means the azea of land and water within the boundaries of the permit <br />designated on Map 1, Map lA, Map 53, Map 53A, and described in Exhibit 2A. All azeas that <br />will be affected by coal mining and reclamation operations during the five-yeaz term of the <br />pemut or longer aze included. <br />4. Environmental Studv Area (Boundary): Means an azea, as delineated on Map 3, that extends <br />approximately one mile outside the permit boundary and mine plan boundary to encompass all <br />drainages and vegetation types on the property. A Riparian Area Protection Zone is depicted <br />on the map to show where surface occupancy cannot occur on Raven Creek. <br /> <br />1.0-3 RevisedNa~+ember 2004 PRIO <br />