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BARR <br />Barr Engineering Company <br />4700 West 77th Street • Minneapolis, MN 55435-4803 <br />Phone: 952-832-2600 • Fax: 952-832-2601 • www.barr.com An EEO Employer <br />Minneapolis, MN • Hibbing, MN • Duluth, MN • Ann Arbor, MI • Jefferson City, MO • Bismarck, ND <br />Memorandum <br />To: Chris Nyikos, Project Manager - Mountain Coal Company <br />Cc: Doug Nolte, Engineering Manager - Mountain Coal Company <br />From: Douglas Poush <br />Subject: Geotechnical Review of Proposed Preparation Plant and Coal Handling Facilities <br />Date: July 17, 2009 <br />Project: 06/26 - 1004 <br />Executive Summary <br />Mountain Coal Company (MCC) is investigating the possible addition of a new Preparation Plant and coal <br />handling facilities at the West Elk Mine. As part of the investigation, MCC asked Barr to provide a <br />conceptual geotechnical review of proposed foundation locations (provided by MCC) for the Coal <br />Conveyor Corridor (PR-2), the TC-1/PR-2 Transfer Station location, and the Lower Refuse Pile (LRP) <br />Screening and Preparation Plant. The review determined the proposed locations to be acceptable for <br />continued design consideration provided additional stability analyses and measurements would be included <br />in final design and a new geotechnical investigation would be conducted to allow for future monitoring of <br />stability. A geotechnical investigation has been completed for the conceptual geotechnical review. <br />MCC subsequently asked Barr to provide a similar conceptual geotechnical review of the alignment for the <br />PR-2 Coal Conveyor. This alignment positions a majority of the conveyor structure on the hillside north of <br />the access road and beyond the slope crest, and as such, the updated alignment poses additional stability <br />risk. Recommended stabilization steps have been expanded to include the excavating of a bench along the <br />hillside for positioning of the conveyor. Beyond stabilization improvements, this addition also eases <br />construction of the stabilizing systems.