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West Elk Mine • Table 31 Typical Equipment Used in Longwall Mining at the West Elk Mine Equipment Type Principal Use Double Ended Ranging Shearer Cuts Coal From Longwall Face 2 Leg Hydraulic Shields Roof Support Pan Line With Chain Conveyor Transports Coal To Stage Loader Hydraulic Pump Station Powers Shields & Pauline Advance Power Distribution Center Provides Electric Power To Shearer, Conveyor and Other Equipment Longwall Support Equipment Move Equipment From Outside and Between Panels Mountain Coal Company will take all reasonable actions necessary to minitnize waste and damage to the remaining coal resources by appropriate mine design and extraction techniques. (2) Operation Description The primary mine facilities and portals were developed in Section 16 during 1981 and 1982 to support continuous miner room and pillar mining in the F-Seam. The West Elk Mine is • developed using continuous miners in a series of long-life main entries, medium-life submain entries, and short-life panels. In 1990, slopes were driven from the existing F-Seam main entries in Section 21 to the underlying B-Seam. A similar system of main entries, submain entries, and panels are developed and retreat mined (with the longwall method) in the B-Seam. Mountain Coal Company utilizes two methods of mining coal at the West Elk Mine. They are room and pillar for development mining and longwall for retreat mining. Room and pillar mining has been the only method used in the F-Seam. It is currently used ih the B-Seam for development mining and is planned for development of the E-Seam. Longwall mining is the planned method of retreat mining in the B and E-Seams. Room and Pillar Minin¢ Method Development mining at the West Elk Mine involves driving entries through the coal seam and leaving coal blocks to support the overlying strata. The coal pillars are developed on mine "advance" (and were extracted on "retreat" in the F-Seam). Mountain Coal Company uses a system of continuous miners, haulage vehicles, and a conveyor system to cut and transport the coal out of the mine. First, continuous miners cut the coal from the seam. This cut coal is then loaded from the miners into diesel or electric haulage vehicles. Finally, the haulage vehicles transport the coal to the conveyor system for transportation out of the mine. C~ 2.0~-7 8/9381ip. 48; RevisedJan. 1994 PROS; 8/94TR71; Revised Jun. l995 PR06