2012-08-17_INSPECTION - C1980007

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August 7, 2012 C- 1980- 007/West Elk Mine JRS BACKFILL and GRADING — Rule 4.14 Contemporaneous Reclamation 4.14.1; Approximate Original Contour 4.14.2; Highwall Elimination 4.14.1(2)(f); Steep Slopes 4.14.2, 4.27; Handling of Acid and Toxic Materials 4.143; Stabilization of Rills and Gullies 4.14.6: - Drill pads 19- 04/19 -05 were both well graded and stable. All of the material used for the cut and fill has been regraded and the reclaimed pads blend well with the undisturbed topography. There were no problems with erosion noted on either of these pads. Overall, the 19- 04/19 -05 pads appeared to be reclaimed to AOC. - Drill pads 20-0 la, 20 -31 and 9- 21- 32/36/37/38 were all well graded and appeared to be stable at the time of the inspection. All of these pads were located adjacent to the West Bench Road. All of the cut /fill material used to build these pads has been regraded to achieve what appeared to be AOC. The pads blended nicely in with the surrounding undisturbed areas. - Drill pads 17- Ola/17- Olb /17 -Olc were all viewed from across the draw. All of the pads were well graded and all of the cut and fill material was blended to achieve what appeared to be AOC. The pads were blended well with the surrounding undisturbed areas and no erosional problems were noted. - The Deep Creek Mesa Road was viewed from across the draw. The road appeared to be well graded and appears to blend well with the surrounding undisturbed areas and appears to be AOC. There were no erosional problems noted on the reclaimed road. RECLAMATION SUCCESS - Rule 4.15, Rule 3: - The Old Road was walked to access the drill pads for 24HG2E3/4- 5 /5XC. The road and pads were all well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. There was good mountain shrub encroachment on the road and along the edges of the pads, including oak brush and serviceberry. There was some thistle on the upper portion of the old road (that went along the contour) but it appeared as though it was dying due to being sprayed. Overall, these sites were in good condition and, on the ground, appeared to meet the Phase II Bond Release criteria. - Drill pads 19- 04/19 -05 were both well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. There were no bare spots noted and there were no weeds noted on either of the pads. There was good oak brush encroachment at the edges of the pads. On the ground, the 19- 04/19 -05 pads appear to meet the Phase II Bond Release criteria. - Drill pads 20-0 la, 20 -31 and 9 -21- 32/36/37/38 were all well vegetated and stable at the time of the inspection. There were no erosional problems noted on any of the pads. All of these pads were adjacent to the West Bench Road. There were a few shrubs encroaching on the pads. No bare spots or noxious weeds were noted on any of these pads. Overall, the reclamation on drill pads 20-0 la, 20 -31 and 9- 21- 32/36/37/38 was very good. - Drill pads 14- 01/14- 02/15- 04a/14- 04/14 -05 and the associated light -use road spur were all well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. These pads were along the top of a ridge and they were covered almost completely with sagebrush. There was some mountain shrub encroachment onto the pads as well, predominantly oak brush. No noxious weeds or bare spots were noted on any of these pads and the all appear to meet the Phase II Bond Release criteria on the growld. - Drill pads 17- Ola/17- Olb /17 -Olc, 17- 02a/17 -02b and 17 -03 were viewed from across the draw. All of these pads were well vegetated and stable and no erosional problems were noted. There were no bare spots noted on any of the pads at the time of the inspection. These pads appeared to meet the Phase II Bond Release criteria on the ground. Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 1 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 0 Page 3 of 15