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-8- <br /> The present mines or entries, from north to south, are: <br /> Coal Basin (No. 5) Mine <br /> L.S. Wood 4 No. 3) Mine <br /> Dutch Creek (No. 2) Mine <br /> Dutch Creek (No. 1) Mine <br /> Bear Creek (No. 4) Mine <br /> Coal is produced from two seams: the Coal Basin Seam, or "B" bed, in which <br /> the Coal Basin (No. 5), L.S. Wood (NO. 3), Dutch Creek (No. 1) , and Bear Creek <br /> (No. 4) mines are located; and the Dutch Creek Seam, or "Middle" bed, which <br /> lies stratigraphically 450 feet above the "B" bed, and in which the Dutch <br /> Creek (No. 2) mine is located. <br /> Room and pillar and longwall mining techniques are to be used in recovering <br /> the mineable coal reserves within the permit area. The amount of coal that <br /> Mid-Continent plans to produce is estimated to be from 800,000 to 1 ,300,000 <br /> tons per year depending upon the market situation. The total potential <br /> tonnage that could be extracted yearly is 2,450,000 tons per year. <br /> The run-of-mine coal is transported from the mine portal bins to the <br /> preparation plant in off-highway diesel powered trucks. Each of the mines is <br /> located approximately 4 miles from the preparation plant. At the preparation <br /> plant, rock and refuse materials are removed from the coal by gravity <br /> separation methods and froth flotation. After cleaning, the coal is thermally <br /> dried and placed in clean coal storage bins from whence it is transported <br /> approximately 22 miles to the unit train load-out station at Carbondale by <br /> semi-trucks. Rock and refuse materials removed from the coal at the <br /> preparation plant are placed in the refuse pile northwest of the preparation <br /> plant. <br /> The projected life of the mine is 40 years. Reclamation will proceed <br /> following the completion of mining operations. The disturbed areas will be <br /> graded, topsoiled where sufficient material is available, and seeded with <br /> predominantly native species. Vegetation characteristics will be monitored <br /> until the post-mining conditions are approximately equal to adjacent areas of <br /> comparable vegetation. The final reclaimed surface will blend in with the <br /> surrounding undisturbed areas. <br />