_INSPECTION - C1980007 ‎(19)‎

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Inspection
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• From: DRMS
• To: Kathy Welt
• Inspection Date: 6/19/2013
• Email Name: JRS
• Email Name: DIH
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

June 19,2013 C-1980-007/West Elk Mine JRS
Inspection Topic Summary
NOTE: Y=Inspected N=Not Inspected R=Comments Noted V=Violation Issued NA=Not Applicable
N -Air Resource Protection R -Roads
R -Availability of Records R -Reclamation Success
R -Backfill& Grading N -Revegetation
N -Excess Spoil and Dev.Waste N - Subsidence
N -Explosives R - Slides and Other Damage
N -Fish&Wildlife R - Support Facilities On-site
R -Hydrologic Balance N - Signs and Markers
R -Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan N - Support Facilities Not On-site
N - Other N - Special Categories Of Mining
R -Processing Waste R -Topsoil
COMMENTS
This was a complete inspection of the West Elk Mine conducted by Jim Stark of the Colorado Division of
Reclamation,Mining and Safety(Division). This was also an inspection for a Partial Phase I Bond Release, SL-
05,for methane drainage wells,pads and their associated roads. Kathy Welt and Jessica Loveland,representing
Mountain Coal, accompanied me on the inspection. Also attending the inspection were Dan Gray,representing
the US Forest Service(USFS)and Howard Strand,representing the Office of Surface Mining(OSM). During the
inspection the mine was actively producing and washing coal,hauling refuse to the refuse pile and loading and
shipping coal from the loadout. The weather was hot and sunny and the ground was dry.
AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS—Rule 5.02.4(1):
-All of the required records were available in Kathy Welt's office in the main office building. Please see the
Division's Availability of Records form at the end of this inspection report for more detailed information.
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
4.14.3; Stabilization of Rills and Gullies 4.14.6:
- On 11 February 2013 the Division received a request for a Partial Phase I Bond Release, SL-05,from the West
Elk Mine. SL-05 was deemed incomplete on 21 February 2013 and deemed complete on 8 April 2013. The
release was for the plugging and sealing of methane drainage wells,the backfilling and grading and drainage
control reestablishment of the drill pads and the backfilling and grading and drainage control reestablishment of
the associated light-use roads. The request was for several wells,pads and roads in the Box Canyon area, several
wells and pads in the E1 seam and two drill pads in the E4 seam where the pad was constructed but the wells were
never drilled(in the Dry Fork area). Overall, a total of 24 wells, 17 drill pads and 6 roads and road spurs(totaling
2.1 miles)were included in the application and inspected. The release area included approximately 13.85 acres.
Since these Phase I Bond Release areas are all small and linear areas,approximate original contour(AOC)is not
verified by measuring the elevation with a GPS on a cross-section. Rather,AOC is determined if the site is well
blended with the surrounding undisturbed areas and there are no regraded areas that don't blend in well on the pad
or within the surrounding,undisturbed areas.
- The first drill pad in Box Canyon,for MDWs 19-07 and 19-08,was well graded and stable. The pad was graded
to blend with the surrounding undisturbed areas. There were no signs of cracking, settling or slumping in the
Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 9
Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 4
Page 2 of 53