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.lul 20 O1 11:S1a PROfiIR RRtiGER DISTRICT <br /> <br />DECISION MEMO <br />970-527-4151 p.2 <br />RECEIVED <br />MAR 0 4 2002 <br />Division of Minerals and Geology <br />Mountain Coal Company Gob Vent Borehole Drilling <br />on Site 14-OS <br />USDA-Forest Service <br />Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests <br />Paonia Ranger District <br />Gunnison County, Colorado <br />I. INTRODUCTION <br />Mountain Coal Company (MCC) operates the West Elk Mine, an underground coal mine <br />neeu- the tovm of Soulerset, in Gunnisou County, Colorado. MCC mines coal from <br />several federal leases, some of which underlie stvface lands that aze administered by the <br />USDA-Forest Service, Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest (GMUG), <br />Paonia Ranger District. <br />MCC informed the GMUG on Mazch 21, 2001 that they were experiencing problems <br />with excessrve methane gas build up in the underground mine. The none's existing <br />ventilation system is unable to adequately remove the methane from the workitlgs to keep <br />the gas level within a safe operating range. MCC had been hying various other methods, <br />including installing horizontal drill holes into the coal seam to libcrate and control the <br />methane gas. The mine has been periodically shut down by the Mining Safety and Health <br />Administration (MSHA) over the past few months to allow the methane levels to reduce <br />to safe concentrations. MSHA placed the mine under shut down orders because of the <br />imminent dvrger to health and safety due to the high concentrations of methatle. <br />Production activity has been allowed only when the methane gas levels fall to safe <br />concentrations. <br />MCC requested another proposal to install gob ventilation boreholes from the land <br />surface to assist in liberating the methane gas (see Section Ill. <br />II. PROPOSED ACTION <br />The proposed action is to install 1 vertical and/or slant gob ventilation borehole (GVB) <br />from l location on the land surface into the underground [lone for the purpose of <br />liberating methane gas. The proposed GVB would be used to liberate methane from <br />longwall panel 14. <br />The hole would be drilled on National Forest System lands in the same immediate area as <br />• previously approved pad locations (Decision Memo signed July 6, ?001 and Apri14, <br />?001). Proposed drill hole 14-OS is located itl the West Flatiron road near drilling pad <br />