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<br />delayed from the next row of holes utilizing 25 milisecond <br />delays. GEC currently utilizes the weights and distance tables <br />for determining the amount of material blasted or detonated <br />within and 8 milisecond time period, Table 2.05-6, Blasting <br />Parameters - Overburden. <br />Particular care is exercised in the blasting operation to ensure <br />that excessive explosives are not placed in any particular hole. <br />Because of the abandoned underground mines within the permit area <br />and the active Dorchester Colomine Coal Mine which is adjacent <br />to the permit area, extra care is taken during the drilling of <br />the overburden to ensure that voids and subsidence areas are adequately <br />backfilled prior to the loading of the hole with explosives. A <br />typical blasting pattern and typical blast hole loading diagram <br />are shown in Figures 2.05-3 and 2.05-2, respectively. In addition, <br />blasting mats or other material is utilized to cover the shot where <br />• applicable to ensure that no fly rock occurs which might endanger <br />the health and safety of the GEC Minerals, Inc. employees or those <br />personnel at the Dorchester Colomine Coal Mine. <br />Having completed the fragmentation of the overburden, front end <br />loaders and trucks or hydraulic shovels and trucks move into the <br />bench area and begin loading the overburden and hauling it to the <br />backfill area. The backfill area is simply the area which has <br />already been mined and is located adjacent to the lowest active <br />bench. As production levels increase, additional overburden <br />trucks will be added to the fleet to enable uncovering more coal. <br />Once the overburden has been removed the coal is cleaned prior to <br />ripping, loading and haulage to the tipple area. The cleaning of <br />the coal removes contaminating material which would ultimately <br />lower the quality of the delivered product. After cleaning the <br />coal is ripped with larger crawler tractors equipped with rippers. <br />The ripping process loosens the coal to enable loading by a large <br />• front end loader. The front end loader loads the coal into the <br />highway haulage truck or end dump trucks for haulage to the tipple. <br />2.05-6 <br />