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West Elk Mine <br />during the loading process. The spilled coal is loaded into a truck and hauled to the main mine <br />site. <br />(8) Coal Processing Waste and Non-Coal Processing Waste <br />Production of Waste or Refuse Material <br />MCC generates waste or refuse during underground construction activities and mining. <br />Underground construction activities include building ventilation overcasts or undercasts, <br />ventilation shafts or tunnels, access slopes, and roadways or haulage ways. Mining produces <br />refuse material from the roof and floor surrounding the coal seam. <br />Although underground construction activities and mining constitute the primary sources of <br />refuse material, some refuse is generated from other mine activities. Other sources of refuse <br />material are contaminated coal spillage, sediment pond dredgings, soils contaminated with non- <br />hazardous materials (e.g. petroleum products) and limited mine development or coal <br />processing wastes from neighboring operations, if comparable in characteristic to West Elk <br />Mine's refuse. These additional sources make up a very small percentage of the total amount <br />of refuse produced at West Elk Mine. <br />Refuse Disposal <br />During the operational life of the mine to date, refuse has been disposed of in several permitted <br />locations. They include the Bear No. 2 Mine portal bench, the Blue Ribbon Mine bench <br />stabilization and back-fill, and West Elk Mine's portal bench mine supply storage area fill and <br />the run-of-mine stack tubes coal storage area fills. Coal refuse was once stockpiled in the <br />initial waste rock storage area (maintenance shop bench), but all refuse or waste was removed <br />before construction of the earthen fill to make a pad for the shop. Coal refuse is transported <br />from the mine on the run-of-mine belt and/or is hauled with equipment out of the main portal. <br />This refuse may be temporarily stockpiled in the screening plant reject bin or on the stack-tube <br />bench, and on the portal bench or in the nearby concrete bunkers, respectively. The amount of <br />coal refuse produced is variable. The refuse materials that accumulate in temporary storage <br />areas, are hauled by truck to the permanent refuse disposal area. <br />Three permanent refuse disposal areas and one development waste pile are permitted at West <br />Elk Mine. Initially, refuse was temporarily stockpiled in an area formerly called the U.S. <br />Steel laydown area. This area was enlarged and converted to a permanent refuse pile called <br />the Lower Refuse Disposal Area or Lower Refuse Pile (LRP). A permanent refuse pile is also <br />permitted for the meadow above the portal bench. This area is referred to as the Upper Refuse <br />Disposal Area (URDA). Although this upper refuse disposal area has been approved for <br />construction, it has not yet been constructed. Construction of the Upper Refuse Disposal Area <br />will occur in the future, if needed. All construction information about these two disposal areas <br />is contained in Exhibit 50 (URDA) and Exhibit 51 (LRP). <br />As MCC projected that the Lower Refuse Pile would reach its maximum storage capacity in <br />1997 (and before completing construction of the ventilation shafts in Sylvester Gulch), a third <br />3-05-45 Rev. 1IA14, (131(16, (14106 & 05106- PR) 0: 081719- TR) 18; 118109-TR119