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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 B-Seam and D <br />Seam by both room and pillar and longwall mining techniques. Conventional <br />room and pillar mining will utilize continuous miners and shuttle cars with belt <br />haulage. Longwall gate entries and bleeders will be developed with <br />continuous miners and shuttle cars. Newly exposed roof will be supported <br />according to an approved roof support plan that recognizes full roof bolting <br />and additional support materials as required due to local conditions. <br />Development mining will generally be in the upper 8 to 10 feet of the seam. <br />Rooms will be driven on retreat with extraction of room and entry pillars. Up <br />to 3-feet of top coal may be left as a beam to support the mudstones that <br />may be located immediately above the coal roof. Where the seam is thick <br />enough, an additional two to fourfeet 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 were used to access the D-Seam reserve. The B-Seam was <br />also accessed with three entries. The D-Seam was expanded to five or <br />more entries when mining and physical conditions allowed. Likewise the B- <br />Seam was expanded to five or more entries when mining and physical <br />conditions allow. Mining conditions will dictate entry and cross-cut spacing. <br />• Cross-cut spacing will range from a minimum of 50-feet to a maximum of <br />Permit Renewal #2 2.05 - 3 - <br />/11/~-gp <br />R PPRovEJ~ <br />7~3 i~a7 <br />12/06 <br />