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West Elk Mine <br />• MCC's policy for woody plant removal is to keep removal to the absolute minimum. Under most <br />circumstances, MCC refrains from cutting and removing timber and other woody plants outside the <br />azeas specified for construction. The only exceptions are for landscaping, erosion control, or fire <br />prevention. When trees and other woody material are removed, they are shredded and used for <br />mulch during revegetation or disposed ofin an approved manner or area. <br />All cut and fill slopes are designed and based on the recommendations of the geotechnical engineer. <br />In constructing slopes, MCC uses appropriate methods, such as benching, staggered benches, slope <br />rounding, feather-back clearing lines, roughened surfaces, and special revegetation work, to <br />mhumize the overall impact. <br />MCC revegetates all those azeas disturbed by mining activities as soon as practicable. The goal of <br />the reclamation effort is to return the disturbed land to its original level of usefulness. RevegetaGon <br />will establish permanent cover for erosion control. <br />During construction, every effort is made to prevent fires at all times. Fuels, lubricants, explosives, <br />and other potentially flammable items are stored in a manner to prevent fires. No burning of brush, <br />timber, or other waste materials is allowed without clearance from the proper authorities having <br />jurisdiction over open burning. Finally, if a fire does occur, trained fire control teams drawn from <br />personnel at the mine site are prepared and available to extinguish it. <br />Major Bui[dinPS and Structure <br />The majority of the surface facilities at West Elk Mine are clustered together neaz the mine portals <br />(Map 53). Major surface facilities at the main mine site include the office and bathhouse building, <br />warehouse, maintenance shop, three-sided warehouse, surface shop building, bulk fuel storage azea, <br />bulk rock dust bin and compressor building, potable water treatment plant, wastewater treatment <br />plant, coal stack tubes (see Section 2.05.3(7}}, and crushing and screening facilities (see Section <br />2.05.3(7)). All of these facilities aze on land owned by MCC. Expanded descriptions for some of <br />these facilities are provided below. A few facilities are located in outlying areas, including the unit- <br />train loadout (Map 53); facilities in Sylvester Gulch (Map 53B), which include ventilation shafts, <br />the F Seam ventilation fan, mine dewatering and treatment facilities, substation; and other support <br />facilities. Detailed descriptions of the Sylvester Gulch facilities aze included in Exhibit 69. <br />MCC completed an office and bathhouse building in September 1992 (Map 53). This building is <br />approximately 20,000 square feet and consists of two floors. The bathhouse facilities and <br />operations offices occupy the lower floor. The engineering and administration offices occupy <br />the upper floor. An as-built construction description is provided in Exhibit 68. <br />MCC expanded the wazehouse facilities by converting the former maintenance shop to wazehouse <br />azea, adding a third level mezzanine inside the existing building and constructing an office addition. <br />The buildmg is approximately 6,000 square feet on the ground level. Warehouse offices, <br />purchasing offices, and material storage occupy the first floor. Additional material storage and <br />offices aze located on the second and third level mezzanines. An as-built construction description is <br />• provided in Exhibit 68. <br />2.05-l7 Revised June 1005 PR70 <br />