BLue SeamThe comment about the blue seam approval delay makes no sense as the Maxwell, Apache and Allen were the basis of the 350 Mt. THe blue was newly discovered - why would they rely on the blue for mining first??
From Cormark Report
Coal at New Elk is contained within three major seams–the Maxwell, Apache and Allen.
The seams range in thickness, from less than 4 feet to greater than 10 feet. In total, the
three major seams encompass the current resource estimate of 315MMt in M&I and
35MMt in inferred for a total of 350MMt. Only the Maxwell and Allen seams formed the
basis of the 2010 preliminary economic assessment which envisaged a 20 year mine plan,
based on only 79.6MMt, or 23% of total coal in place.