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Coal Mine Makes Lasting Impression on Labor Chief |
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 23:51 |
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A visit by U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis with workers of Patriot Coal’s Federal No. 2 mine near Morgantown, W.Va., apparently made a lasting impression on the labor chief who told the media the visit left her in awe. “I wanted to see for myself how these men and women who toil below the earth’s surface go about their daily work,” Solis said of the August visit. “What I learned is that modern mining is a complex and technologically advanced process, staffed by some of the hardest working and most professional individuals in the world. It also opened my eyes to what our inspectors go through at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration. The experience was more than educational, it was inspiring.”
The secretary was accompanied on the underground visit by Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., Cecil Roberts, president, United Mine Workers of America, and Blair McGill, general manager, Federal No. 2 mine.
“It was evident that management and labor can work together to ensure that workers are safe, earn a good wage, and can be proud that their work is contributing to meeting our nation’s diverse energy needs,” said Solis.
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NRP Acquires Coal Reserves for Deer Run in Illinois |
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 23:50 |
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Natural Resource Partners (NRP) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire approximately 200 million tons of coal reserves related to the Deer Run mine in Illinois from Colt LLC, an affiliate of the Cline Group, through eight separate transactions for a total purchase price of $255 million. Upon closing of the first transaction, NRP paid $10 million and acquired approximately 3.3 million tons of reserves associated with the initial production from the mine. Future closings anticipated in 2010, 2011, and 2012 will be associated with the completion of certain milestones relating to the new mine’s construction.
The Deer Run mine is located near Hillsboro in Montgomery and Bond counties, Ill., and the coal reserves are leased to the mining company Hillsboro Energy, an affiliate of the Cline Group. Construction of the new longwall mine has already commenced. Initial production is expected in 2010, and longwall production is expected to commence in 2011.
“We are excited about the opportunity to acquire additional coal reserves in the Illinois Basin as the Cline team develop this new mine,” said Nick Carter, president and COO, NRP. “With this acquisition, NRP continues its diversification in the Illinois Basin. When this mine is completed and in production, our Illinois Basin production is expected to be approximately 20 million tons per year, up from less than 3 million tons in 2006. This is the third acquisition in the Illinois Basin resulting from our relationship with the Cline Group. There are several acquisitions anticipated over the next few years that will continue to build our production base in the Illinois Basin.”
Production from the mine is forecasted to be approximately 8 to 10 million tons per year, from which NRP ultimately anticipates receiving in excess of $40 million per year of income. Based upon these production levels, the life of the mine will exceed 20 years.
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CONSOL to Resume Production at West Virginia Mine |
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 23:49 |
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CONSOL Energy has resumed longwall mining at its Blacksville No. 2 mine in northern West Virginia with the aim of going full speed, according to Senior Vice President Tom Hoffman. The operation was halted at Blacksville in June because of weak demand for coal, he said. No workers were laid off during the period, but many took vacations and extra time off. The situation at Blacksville and other mines remains tentative because of the economy.
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Coal Trains: The History of Railroading and Coal in the United States |
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 23:49 |
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From the very beginning, U.S. railroads have carried coal from mines to docks, steel mills, and power plants across the country. In this authoritative book spanning the whole of that history, from the mid-nineteenth century to present, noted rail author Brian Solomon explores the railroads and hardware that have transported the fossil fuels that made America work. Brilliant period and contemporary photographs convey the drama of the enterprise: the very long—and very heavy—trains powering up mountain grades and thundering across barren prairies. At sites from the eastern and western U.S., past and present, readers see giant double-headed Norfolk and Western steam locomotives moving Appalachian coal in Virginia; modern CSX diesels dragging unit coal trains over the well-groomed former Chesapeake & Ohio main line; BNSF’s SD70MACs with more than 100 hoppers in tow; Rio Grande locomotives snaking through the Rocky Mountains; and coal trains working full-throttle up Colorado’s Tennessee Pass, cresting the Continental Divide at 10,000 ft above sea level. Taking up topics ranging from the colorful but now-defunct “anthracite roads” of eastern Pennsylvania to today’s AC-traction diesels that work Wyoming’s thriving Powder River Basin, Solomon reveals how for 150 years the unique demands of coal—and America’s demand for coal—have prompted new railroad technologies. Voyageur Press (www.voyageurpress.com)
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MSHA Increases Funding for State Health and Safety Training Grants |
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 23:48 |
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The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced it has allocated more than $8.3 million in health and safety training grants for fiscal year 2009, up from $8.2 million last year.
“Comprehensive education and training for miners is a sound investment,” said Dr. Gregory R. Wagner, MSHA’s deputy assistant secretary for policy. “At the Department of Labor, our mantra is ‘good jobs for everyone.’ A good job is a safe job, and these grants will enable participating states to work toward a goal that we all share—ensuring every miner returns home safely at the end of every working shift.”
Grantees will use the funds to provide federally mandated training to miners. The grants cover training and retraining of miners working at surface and underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines, including miners engaged in shell dredging or employed at surface stone, sand and gravel mining operations.
Training grant funds are being awarded to 47 states and the Navajo Nation. States applied for the grants, which are administered by state mine inspectors’ offices, state departments of labor, and state-supported colleges and universities. Each recipient tailors the program to its miners’ individual needs and provides technical assistance.
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