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.~, <br />,~ <br />FEB. 2b. 2008 2:06PM <br />F ~ 2 5 X008 <br />i~SHA COAL DIST 9 000 <br />~r/ et <br />N0. 0731-'~~P f <br />8 -v ~- i ' <br />Coal Mine Safety and Health <br />District 9 <br />Mr. Cftarles Richmond <br />Purest Supervisor <br />Gxaztd Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gt~.rmison National Forest <br />2250 Highway 50 <br />Delta, CU 81416 <br />De1r Mr. Richmond: <br />Thexe have been inquixies as to whether my office will approve flaring of <br />urethane gas venting fxom de-gas wells that are pxoposed to be installed fn the e- <br />seazn longwallpanel at Mountain Coal Company's Weft ~ Mine located near <br />Somerset, Coloxado. <br />7n looking into this issue, Y am aware of the Conceptual Design fox a Goal Mine <br />Gob Well Plaxe; dated August 1999 and pxepaxsd by the Coalbed Methane <br />Outxeach 1'xogxam, Atrnosphexic Pollution Prevention Division of fine U.S. <br />Environmental Protection Agency. l am. also aware of e--mails between Dane <br />Madsen of the U.S. Forest Service and Hubert Sherer of the Mine Safety and <br />Health Administration (MSHA) in which it va'as stated that there is no MSHA~ <br />xegulaHon preventing flazing of methane gas at a coal mine. <br />The District 9 Office of MSHA has the xespansibility of appxoving mining plans <br />for all coal mines in the western part of the United States. We have approved <br />mining plans submitted by the WestElk Mine for Iongwall mining in the F-seam. <br />Pxpexience in 7 to S yeaxs of longwall mining at the West EIk Ivline has proven <br />that methane drainage is an essential element of their mine ventilation system. <br />The mine fastis alone are not capable of adequately handling the methane <br />encountexed in the seams being mined in order to provide a safe and secure <br />environment for minexs who work underground. We have already advised the <br />~N'est Elk. m,anageznent that we cannot approve futuxe Iongwall panels without <br />su#icient de-gas wells to control methane. <br />/~. <br />