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<br />are used to store water pumped from the No. 6 Mine prior to discharge from the mine. <br />Longwall panels in the No. 5 and the No. 6 mines were and are oriented along the dip of the "F" and "E" coal seams. <br />Typical panel dimensions for the No. 5 mine was from 600 to 700 feet wide and varies in length from 2,500 feet to <br />over 4,500 feet. The longwall operation in the No.S Mine began in 1985 and was completed in 1989. The longwall <br />face was moved from the No. 5 Mine into the No. 6 Mine in December, 1989. Two sumps located in the No.S Mine <br />In the No. 6 mine, panel widths vary from 600 to 800 feet wide and will vary in length from 2,500 feet to 7,000 feet. <br />Longwall mining began in December, 1989 with the mining of the 1st East Panel. Mining of this panel was completed <br />in October, 1990. The 2nd East panel was mined from November, 1990 through December, 1992. The 3rd East panel <br />was mined from August, 1993 through September, 1995. The 4th Eas[ panel was developed in anticipation of moving <br />into upon completion of the 3rd East panel, but market conditions did not allow for this to occur. The mine is <br />currently (December, 2001) in temporary cessation and will maintain this status until market conditions improve. The <br />next panel to be mined will be the 4th East panel. During the mining of the 4th East panel development work will be <br />initiated on the 5th East panel. Subsequent development and longwall mining will be conducted in accordance with <br />the approved mine plan. <br />Longwall mining experience gained from the mining of the No. 5 mine was used in developing the mine plan for the <br />No. 6 mine. RAG EC anticipates that overall exvaction in the longwall areas will exceed 80 percent. This is <br />considered to be very good recovery for an underground coal mine. <br />Utilization of longwall equipment for coal extraction allows complete extraction of tha coal within the working limits <br />of the machine. Geological structures may limit face height and maximum equipment height (i.e. strong cleats, rider <br />• seams, sandstone channel margins). The only coal not recovered in a longwall mining operation is the coal left in <br />various barriers, or roof and Floor coal [ha[ is outside the cutting range of [he shearing machine. Barriers will he left a[ <br />the No. 5 and No. 6 mines for a variety of reasons. Those reasons are: <br />• Protection of Main Entries <br />• Property Boundary Barriers <br />• Outcrop Barriers <br />• Subsidence Barriers <br />Protection of Main Entries. Experience at the Eagle mines indicated that main entry protection barrier pillars of <br />approximately 200 feet are adequate to provide the necessary protection of the main entries. If conditions indicate <br />that greater or less protection is required, RAG EC will adjust the width accordingly. <br />Property Boundary Barriers. Property boundary barriers will be left [o ensure that [he subsidence angle of draw does <br />not cross the permit boundary and that mining will not occur closer than 50 feet from an adjacent owner's property <br />line. <br />Outcrop Barriers. RAG EC intends to leave a minimum barrier of 100 feet between the coal working and the coal <br />outcrop. This outcrop barrier is necessary to minimize the subsidence effects along the outcrop and also serves to <br />keep the mine ventilation system intact and prevent the extraction of oxidized coal along [he outcrop. <br />In areas where daylighting occurs, the area will be prepared in the following manner. Topsoil, if available, will be <br />stripped, stockpiled, and re-vegetated with the approved topsoil stockpile seed mixture. The area to be disturbed will <br />• be approximately 200 feet X 400 feet, with the topsoil stockpile, overburden stockpile, and daylighted entries <br />contained in the area. If the daylighting occurs in favorable field conditions, an area will be excavated around the <br />entry. In unconsolidated material, the slope will be 2H:1 V and in consolidated material about .25H:1 V. A continuous <br />miner will then daylight into the prepared area. If daylighting occurs in unfavorable field conditions, the continuous <br />~ .tAD ' <br />~p1tOVED <br />MidTerm Response 2.05-3 Revised 12/05/01 <br />~~~,3 <br />5 2002 <br />