2008-06-12_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1980007 (3)

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Yost Lease Surface - se under Relining. Safet% and Health Administration regulations. mines are required to maintain methane levels at or below appro:?Limately one percent to ensure worker saferv underurround. Tvplcally. the mine ventilation system cannot effectively keep methane levels within safe workinL, range. Therefore additional methane liberation methods are used. For minim on existinL, leases north of the Drv Fork LBA Tract. the West Elk Mine has used a system of methane drainage wells to assist in liberating methane from the under« round mine. Drilling these methane drainage wells requires construction of drill pads and temporary roads on the land surface. These features are on the landscape for two to six years, after which they are decommissioned.. the land surface reclaimed and returned to pre-mining land uses. Reclamation includes return ing land surface to approximate original contour and revegetating. Reclamation has been <oenerally successful within two to five years after reclamation work is completed. For the Dry Fork LBA tract, it is anticipated that methane drainage wells (MDW) may be needed. Other post-leasing surface disturbance that could be reasonably anticipated include exploration drilling, seismic exploration, ground water monitor well installation, ventilation and escapeway facilities. water handling facilities, subsidence and hydrology monitoring facilities, and access roads needed for these facilities. Surface disturbance would occur over the life of the lease (expected to be about 25 years from lease issuance to lease relinquishment and final bond release). Site-specific locations of anticipated disturbance cannot be identified at the leasing stage, due to the competitive nature of coal leasing and that a final mine plan has not been approved. However, the Forest Service has estimated total vegetative disturbance based on past experience related to these types of surface disturbances related to subsurface minim. • Approximately 30 methane drainage wells may be required over the life of the lease, with a disturbance of approximately one acre of disturbance per pad. Associated temporary road building acres assume a 30-foot average disturbance width for a temporary road with a 14-foot runnin`a surface. It is projected that any exploration drilling and ground water monitornu drill pads and access road construction would utilize the same locations as those used for methane drainage wells. The extent and duration of these activities depends on the amount of methane encountered in the active underground panel, mine development and production rates. Active MDW's are generally in place 1-2 years. The drill pads and associated roads are then reclaimed in year three. Drilling and reclamation occurs in a progressive manner dependent on the underground panels planned for mining. One additional thine ventilation facility (i.e. shaft) may. be needed during the life of the lease and would include associated road construction. Subsidence and hvdrolo(,ay tnonitorin?g may require placement of monitoring devices on the land surface. These may include small subsidence monument.. survev markers. stream aages. flumes, etc. Access to the facilities may require motorized vehicles that would use the system of existing roads. At the leasing stage- it is not possible to locate site-specific areas where potential post lease surface uses may occur. therefore. the above surface use and disturbance estimations will be used • to aid the effects analysis. if surface use are proposed du in the Life of the lease. then the site- spectfic proposals would be made based on the surface use stipulations on the lease and tiatlonal Environmental Policy Act analysis completed at that time.