Laserfiche WebLink
West Elk Mine <br />All work at West Elk Mine is conducted according to Federal and State water pollution laws, <br />land reclamation statutes and regulations, and construction safety standards. Construction <br />activities are planned and executed in a manner to protect the environment and minimize pollution <br />and erosion. Three areas of primary concern during construction projects are safety, vegetation, <br />and fires. <br />MCC conducts its operations in a way that minimizes the potential safety hazards for each <br />construction project. It also assures that its employees, contractors, and subcontractors <br />understand MCC's and applicable environmental, and health and safety policies before each <br />construction project begins. <br />MCC's policy for woody plant removal is to keep removal to the absolute minimum. Under <br />most circumstances, MCC refrains from cutting and removing timber and other woody plants <br />outside the areas specified for construction. The only exceptions are for landscaping, erosion <br />control, or fire prevention. When trees and other woody material are removed, they are <br />shredded and used for mulch during revegetation or disposed of in an approved manner or area. <br />All cut and fill slopes are designed and based on the recommendations of the geotechnical <br />engineer. In constructing slopes, MCC uses appropriate methods, such as benching, staggered <br />benches, slope rounding, feather-back clearing lines, roughened surfaces, and special <br />revegetation work, to minimize the overall impact. <br />MCC revegetates all those areas disturbed by mining activities as soon as practicable. The goal <br />of the reclamation effort is to return the disturbed land to its original level of usefulness. <br />Revegetation will establish permanent cover for erosion control. <br />During construction, every effort is made to prevent fires at all times. Fuels, lubricants, <br />explosives, and other potentially flammable items are stored in a manner to prevent fires. No <br />burning of brush, timber, or other waste materials is allowed without clearance from the proper <br />authorities having jurisdiction over open burning. Finally, if a fire does occur, trained fire <br />control teams drawn from personnel at the mine site are prepared and available to extinguish it. <br />Major Buildings and Structure <br />The majority of the surface facilities at West Elk Mine are clustered together near the mine <br />portals (Map 53). Major surface facilities at the main mine site include the office and bathhouse <br />building, warehouse, maintenance shop, three-sided warehouse, surface shop building, bulk fuel <br />storage area, bulk rock dust bin and compressor building, potable water treatment plant, <br />wastewater treatment plant, coal stack tubes (see Section 2.05.3(7)), and crushing and screening <br />facilities (see Section 2.05.3(7)). All of these facilities are on land owned by MCC. Expanded <br />descriptions for some of these facilities are provided below. A few facilities are located in <br />outlying areas, including the unit-train loadout (Map 53); facilities in Sylvester Gulch (Map 53B), <br />which include ventilation shafts, the F Seam ventilation fan, mine dewatering and treatment <br />2.05-17 Revised June 2005 PRIO; Rev. January 2006; Rev. March 2006; Rev. Apri11006 PR/0, May 2006 PR10; Rev. January 2009 MR-350 <br />