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<br />Mid-term Permit Review No. 6 <br />Responses to Comments and Requested Information <br />1. The title of Map 66 and the reference to this map in the Table of Contents (TOC) was <br />corrected to say "Alluvial Deposits". Copies of the corrected map and TOC are attached. <br />2. As MCC will not be constructing the RPE ventilation shaft, Exhibit 70B (RPE Shaft <br />Project Plan) was removed from the permit document. Please ensure that the bond <br />estimate has been adjusted to remove these facilities as well. <br />3. A copy of the prime farmland determination letter of March 30, 2004, has been added to <br />Exhibit 39 of MCC's permit document, and a copy of Map 53A has been added to <br />Volume 11. <br />4. Table 36, Approximate Topsoil flolumes for the West Elk Mine Site, was updated to show <br />topsoil volumes added per TR-99 (Sylvester Gulch Road extension). Two notations were <br />also added to the table to reflect that reclamation of the Lone Pine Gulch area has <br />occurred and that the topsoil from methane drainage well sites is not shown in the table. <br />5. The discussions in the permit in regard to vegetation sampling in the Historic Records <br />Study Area remain accurate. MCC has contacted Savage and Savage, the consulting firm <br />that conducted the original historic records sampling. Attached is a memo prepared by <br />Savage and Savage summarizing the status of the historic records revegetation standards <br />to date. The vegetation sampling during dry (low) and normal (average) pre-growing <br />season precipitation years have occurred and only sampling during a wet (high) year <br />remains. Savage and Savage will monitor the precipitation levels through. May of this <br />year and inform MCC if enough pre-growing season precipitation was received to qualify <br />as a wet year. If so, Savage and Savage will conduct the wet year sampling this year. If <br />not, MCC will monitor the precipitation next year (and successive years if need be) until <br />the remaining wet year sampling can be conducted. <br />6. Although MCC anticipates that the life of the mine will continue for many more years, <br />perhaps even 40 years as was originally projected, the text stating that mine closure will <br />be "approximately 40 years from now" was removed from paragraph 3 of page 2.05-84, <br />and the reference to a 40-year mine plan was changed to "life-of-mine plan" in paragraph <br />6 of page 2.05-86 and paragraph 2 of page 2.05-101. <br />7. The thermal event and methane drainage well projects were already added in Volume <br />11A per MR 270. All other MDW projects will also be added to Volume 1 IA and <br />successive Volumes 11B, 11C, etc. added as need be in the future. This reference was <br />added to the table of contents. <br />8. a. Table 42A "Inventory of Structures and Renewable Resource Lands in the Pern-dt <br />Area" has been added as page 2.05-108. - <br />b. The Deep Creek Ditch, the Ditch Rider's Cabin and the USFS Roads have been <br />included on the inventory table.