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• 2.05.3 Operation Plan -Permit Area <br />(1) Production Methods and Equipment <br />Underground mining will be conducted at the mine in the D-2 Seam by both <br />room and pillar and longwall mining techniques. Conventional room and <br />pillar mining will utilize continuous miners and shuttle cars with belt haulage. <br />Longwall gate entries and bleeders will be developed with continuous miners <br />and shuttle cars. Newly exposed roof will be supported according to an ap- <br />proved roof support plan that recognizes full roof bolting and additional <br />support materials as required due to local conditions. Development mining <br />will generally be in the upper 8 to 10 feet of the seam. Rooms will be driven <br />on retreat with extraction of room and entry pillars. In the D-2 Seam, up to <br />3-feet of top coal may be left as a beam to support the mudstones that may <br />be located immediately above the coal roof. Where the seam is thick <br />enough, an additional two to four feet of bottom coal will be mined during the <br />retreat cycle of mining with the objective of extracting 10 feet of the seam. <br />Retreat mining is conducted to attain the maximum recovery consistent with <br />the safety and protection of mine personnel and surface protection. <br />• Coal will be loaded from the working face by the continuous miners utilizing <br />shuttle cars that transport the coal to the conveyor belt loading point. <br />Conveyor belts transport the coal to the surface. <br />The production rate at the mine will be controlled by market conditions. The <br />minimum production rate will be about 2.0 million tons per year with an <br />expected maximum production of 6.0 million tons per year. However, mine <br />plan projections will continue to be based on 5.0 million tons per year <br />production level. <br />Other than safety of the miners and protecting the environmental resources, <br />maximum recovery of the coal reserve is the objective of the Operator. This <br />is accomplished by sound engineering plans based on prudent mining <br />practices. <br />Three entries will be used to access the reserve. The mine will be expanded <br />to five or more entries when mining and physical conditions allow. Mining <br />conditions will dictate entry and cross-cut spacing. Cross-cut spacing will <br />range from a minimum of 50-feet to a maximum of 150-feet. Entry spacing <br />will range from a minimum of 50-feet to a maximum of 120-feet. Room and <br />• pillar panels will be developed off main and submain entries with barrier <br />PR-06 2.05 - 3 - 8/01 <br />Ji PP~'ovED <br />I~lS`02 <br />