coal facts 2007

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Natural resource development today,

providing usable land for tomorrow...

2 WVCA

It's frequently noted that "every coal mining job cre-ates another five to eight jobs somewhere in the econ-omy." Anyone who has ever visited a coal orientedcommunity in West Virginia would have no hesitation inbelieving that statistic. It is likely that no state andindustry are as closely identified with one another asWest Virginia and coal.

Friends of Coal is based on the simplepremise that West Virginia is home to hun-dreds of thousands of people who under-stand and appreciate the value and theimportance of the coal industry to the pros-perity of the Mountain State and its people.It is a grass roots movement involving thou-sands of West Virginians who consider coal to be thelifeblood of the state's economy.

These people have always been around. But theyhave never before been organized into a cohesiveforce capable of demonstrating just how many WestVirginians are directly and indirectly involved with thecoal industry.

Friends of Coal was also born out of a desire to cor-rect the misimpression that coal's time has passed inWest Virginia.

In the 140 year history of the state's coal industry,something like 13 billion tons of coal have been extract-ed. The state's remaining mineable reserves amount toabout 52 billion tons. West Virginia is in no danger ofrunning out of coal.

Coal still supplies more than 50% of this country'sgrowing electrical power demand, and West Virginia isthe nation's second largest coal producer.

There is no danger that the demand for energy willcease.

But, in a shrinking world community, competition forWest Virginia's traditional coal markets is increasingevery year. States with less sensitive environmentalconcerns, and nations with low standards of safe pro-

duction and environmental pro-tection, with low pay and govern-ment subsidies, are threats to the

Appalachian coal market.West Virginia's biggest edge

has always been the quality of itscoal, along with its expert work

force and its relative proximity to the markets. But, astransportation systems have gotten more sophisticat-ed, and the production cost differential has grown,these mitigating factors have been diminished.

In other words, with the best coal miners in theworld, with the best coal in the world and with a grow-ing demand for energy, West Virginia's coal industry isstill plagued by the uncertainties of the shifting market-place.

As the industry streamlines and adapts to meetthese challenges, it is increasingly important that theFriends of Coal in West Virginia unite to speak with onevoice. It up to these proud people to clearly demon-strate that coal must be a major consideration in theestablishment of public policy in the state and in thenation.

For more information, visit the Friends of Coal web-site at www.friendsofcoal.org.

The Friends of Coal

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Coal Facts 2007 3

Coal Facts 2007West Virginia Coal Assocation

The Friends of Coal 2

WV Coal Producing Regions 4WV Coal Facts at a Glance 4

U.S. Coal Production by State 5U.S. Coal Facts At A Glance 5Useful Contacts 5

WV Coal Producing Counties 6WV Coal Production By County 6

County Ranking - Total Production 7County Ranking - Direct Employment 7County Ranking - Underground Production 7County Ranking - Surface Production 7

Largest WV Coal Companies 8Million Ton Mines - Underground 8

Largest WV Coal Producers 9Million Ton Mines - Surface 9

WV Coal Production by Month 10WV Coal Production By Method 10

Transportation of WV Coal 11Coal Use at WV Power Plants 11

WV Coal Production By Seam 12

WV Coal Reserves 13

WV Coal Production and Employment 1900 - 2005 14

The Severance Tax 152005 Severance Tax Receipts 15

WV Mining Permits Issued - 2005 20

Surface Permit Acreage 21

You Need To Know 22

County Profiles of West Virginia’s Coal Country 23

The Origin of Coal 38Fast Facts 38Average BTU Values for Major Fuels 38

Coal In West Virginia 39

Glossary of Coal Industry Terms 40

The West Virginia Coal Association 44

Chairman Andrew Jordon President Bill Raney

Senior Vice President Chris HamiltonVice President Dan Miller

Vice President Jason BosticAssistant to the President Sandi Davison

Research Assistant Audrey Shelton

Coal Facts 2007 is published by the West Virginia Coal Association

P.O. Box 3923Charleston, West Virginia 25339

Telephone (304) 342-4153Fax (304) 342-7651

Web Site www.wvcoal.com

Our Cover: Some of the world’s best coal miner’sare still the driving force at McElroy CoalCompany, but there’s plenty of high-technology atwork above ground.

Cover design by Angie Lanham

64802CoalFacts07 7/24/07 9:25 AM Page 3

Marsh

all

Brooke

Pendleton

Monongalia

Ohio

Wetzel

Taylor

Dodd

ridge

Monroe

Upshur

BarbourTucker

Mason

Nicholas

FayetteGreenbrier

Clay

Boone

Kanawha

Mingo

Logan

McDowell Mercer

Summ

ers

Lewis

Wyoming

Raleigh

Wayne Lincoln

Putnam

Pocahontas

Braxton

Webster

Preston

Randolph

G r a n t

Mineral

Gilmer

Har-rison

Marion

Cabell

Hardy

Hampshire

Northern High VolatileSouthern High VolatileSouthern Low VolatileNon Coal Producing Counties

Grant

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West Virginia Coal Facts At A Glance

Total Production 158,835,584Underground 91,988,281Surface 66,847,303

Coal Companies Operating in WV 270

Number of Mines 601Underground 330Surface 271

Record Production Year - 1997 181,914,000

Recoverable Coal Reserves 52,466,3990,580

West Virginia Coal Employment 48,720Underground 13,511Surface 7,022Coal Handling Facilities 2,387Contractors 25,800

TransportationRail 87,941,361River 17,233,499Truck 33,655,054

Estimated Average Annual Coal Wage $62,700Estimated Production Value 2006 $6,060,000,000Estimated Coal Severance Tax $386,000,000

Leading Coal Producing County Total Tonnage - Boone 32,764,140Underground - Boone 12,972,981Surface - Boone 19,791,159

Highest Employment by County - Boone 4,656

County With Most Coal Reserves - Boone 3,685,104,792

Leading Coal Producing Corporate Group CONSOL Energy, Inc. 28,575,146

Leading Coal Producing Company Consolidation Coal Co. 17,945,638

Largest Underground Mine McElroy Mine, McElroy Coal Co. 10,477,398

Largest Surface Mine Twilight, Independence Coal Co. 4,496,631

Largest Mine Employment McElroy Mine, McElroy Coal Co. 765

Largest Producing Mining Method Continuous Miner 54,392,437

Largest Producing Coal Seam Pittsburgh 34,455,192

All values expressed in tons except for dollar figures and employment

West Virginia CoalProducing Regions


Coal Facts 2007 5

U.S. Coal Production By State 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2006 Rank

Alabama 19.4 18.9 20.1 22.3 21.3 18.8 15Alaska 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.5 1.5 1.4 23Arizona 13.4 12.8 12.1 12.7 12.1 8.2 16Colorado 33.4 35.1 35.8 39.9 38.5 36.3 7Illinois 33.8 33.3 31.6 31.9 32.1 32.2 9Indiana 36.7 35.3 35.4 35.1 34.4 35.7 8Kansas 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 24Kentucky 133.8 124.1 112.8 114.3 119.8 120.0 3Louisiana 3.7 3.8 4.0 3.8 4.2 4.1 18Maryland 4.6 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.1 17Mississippi 0.6 2.3 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.8 19Missouri 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.4 24Montana 39.1 37.4 37.0 40.0 40.4 41.8 6New Mexico 29.6 28.9 26.4 27.2 28.5 25.9 13North Dakota 30.5 30.8 30.8 29.9 30.0 30.4 10Ohio 25.4 21.2 22.0 23.2 24.7 22.7 14Oklahoma 1.7 1.4 1.6 1.8 1.8 2.0 22Pennsylvania 74.1 68.4 63.7 66.0 67.3 66.0 4Tennessee 3.3 3.2 2.6 2.9 3.2 2.8 20Texas 45.0 45.2 47.5 45.9 45.9 45.5 5Utah 27.0 25.3 23.1 21.7 24.5 26.0 12Virginia 32.8 30.0 31.6 31.4 27.7 29.7 11Washington 4.6 5.8 6.2 5.7 5.3 2.6 21West Virginia 175.0 163.3 145.9 153.6 159.5 158.8 2Wyoming 368.7 373.2 376.3 396.50 406.4 446.7 1U.S. Total 1,127.7 1,094.3 1,071.8 1,112.1 1,133.3 1,161.4

Total Production - 2005 1,130,802,000Underground 368,612,000Surface 762,190,000East 493,105,000West 637,697,000

Number of mines - 2005 1,398Underground 606Surface 792

Employment - 2005 79,186Underground 45,614Surface 33,572

Recoverable Reserves - 2005 507,738,600,000

Leading Coal Producers - 2005Peabody Energy Corp. 192,484,000Kennecott Energy Co. 124,479,000Arch Coal, Inc. 115,244,000CONSOL Energy, Inc. 65,222,000Foundation Coal Group 60,428,000Massey Energy Company 40,373,000Vulcan Partners, L.P. 35,502,000North American Coal Group 30,648,000

U.S. Coal Facts At A Glance

West Virginia Coal AssociationPhone (304) 342-4153 FAX 342-7651 Web Site wvcoal.com

National Mining AssociationPhone (202) 463-2600FAX (202) 463-2666Web Site nma.org

WV Department of Environmental ProtectionPhone (304) 926-0440FAX (304) 926-0446Web Site dep.state.wv.us

WV Office of Miners’ Health, Safety & TrainingPhone (304) 558-1425FAX (304) 558-1282Web Site state.wv.us/mhst

Office of Surface Mining - CharlestonPhone (304) 347-7162FAX (304) 347-7170Web Site osmre.gov

Useful Contacts

source - Energy Information Agency, figuresexpressed in millions of tons


10 million tons +5 million - 10 million tons1 million - 5 million tons0 - 1 million tonsNon Coal Producing Counties

Boone

Kanawha

RaleighMingo

Monongalia

Marsh

all

Logan

Nicholas

Clay

Wayne

Fayette

Braxton

Webster

Greenbrier

BarbourTucker

McDowell

Preston

HarrisonGrant

Mineral

Marion

Lincoln

Wyoming

Upshur

Randolph

Mercer

Brooke

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West Virginia Coal Production By County - 2006Mines Employees Underground Surface Total

Barbour 18 289 865,189 648,020 1,513,209Boone 118 4,656 12,972,981 19,791,159 32,764,140Braxton 3 120 1,175,458 ————- 1,175,458Brooke 4 44 ————- 403,853 403,853Clay 3 156 ————- 3,882,969 3,882,969

Fayette 25 606 1,666,331 1,863,649 3,529,980Grant 10 103 175,754 ————- 175,754Greenbrier 6 180 406,755 ————- 406,755Harrison 21 790 6,273,752 123,238 6,396,990Kanawha 37 1,540 7,551,826 5,952,616 13,504,442

Lincoln 3 124 840,344 13,698 854,042Logan 50 1,741 2,590,341 11,284,746 13,875,087Marion 17 590 6,383,219 56,870 6,440,089Marshall 1 1,039 11,442,139 ————- 11,442,139McDowell 67 1,106 3,462,179 2,372,624 5,834,803

Mercer 2 12 218,181 12,650 230,831Mineral 4 14 ————- 48,300 48,300Mingo 67 1,806 6,138,732 4,819,502 10,958,234Monongalia 15 1,173 10,547,509 747,800 11,295,309Nicholas 18 552 1,334,178 3,195,948 4,530,126

Preston 2 255 1,377,168 130 1,377,298Raleigh 42 1,403 5,167,278 3,910,630 9,077,908Randolph 2 146 1,222,807 ————- 1,222,807Tucker 6 114 560,916 ————- 560,916Upshur 11 254 1,346,841 8,325 1,355,166

Wayne 6 456 3,672,220 1,163,368 4,835,588Webster 9 388 1,335,718 4,515,897 5,851,615Wyoming 30 1,833 3,244,982 2,031,311 5,276,293Total 601 20,553 91,988,281 66,847,303 158,835,584

source - West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety & Training

West Virginia CoalProducing Counties


Coal Facts 2007 7

County By County Rankings - 2006

source - West Virginia Office of Miners’Health Safety & Training

Total Tonnage01 Boone 32,764,14002 Logan 13,875,08703 Kanawha 13,504,44204 Marshall 11,442,13905 Monongalia 11,295,30906 Mingo 10,958,23407 Raleigh 9,077,90808 Marion 6,440,08909 Harrison 6,396,99010 Webster 5,851,61511 McDowell 5,834,80312 Wyoming 5,276,29313 Wayne 4,835,58814 Nicholas 4,530,12615 Clay 3,882,96916 Fayette 3,529,98017 Barbour 1,513,20918 Preston 1,377,29819 Upshur 1,355,16620 Randolph 1,222,80721 Braxton 1,175,45822 Lincoln 854,04223 Tucker 560,91624 Greenbrier 406,75525 Brooke 403,85326 Mercer 230,83127 Grant 175,75428 Mineral 48,300

Total 158,835,584

Underground Tonnage01 Boone 12,972,98102 Marshall 11,442,13903 Monongalia 10,547,50904 Kanawha 7,551,82605 Marion 6,383,21906 Harrison 6,273,75207 Mingo 6,138,73208 Raleigh 5,167,27809 Wayne 3,672,22010 McDowell 3,462,17911 Wyoming 3,244,98212 Logan 2,590,34113 Fayette 1,666,33114 Preston 1,377,16815 Upshur 1,346,84116 Webster 1,335,71817 Nicholas 1,334,17818 Randolph 1,222,80719 Braxton 1,175,45820 Barbour 865,18921 Lincoln 840,34422 Tucker 560,91623 Greenbrier 406,75524 Mercer 218,18125 Grant 175,754

Total 91,988,281

Direct Employment01 Boone 4,65602 Wyoming 1,83303 Mingo 1,80604 Logan 1,74105 Kanawha 1,54006 Raleigh 1,40307 Monongalia 1,17308 McDowell 1,10609 Marshall 1,03910 Harrison 79011 Fayette 60612 Marion 59013 Nicholas 55214 Wayne 45615 Webster 38816 Barbour 28917 Preston 25518 Upshur 25419 Greenbrier 18020 Clay 15621 Randolph 14622 Lincoln 12423 Braxton 12024 Tucker 11425 Grant 10326 Brooke 4427 Mineral 1428 Mercer 12

Total 20,553

Surface Tonnage01 Boone 19,791,15902 Logan 11,284,74603 Kanawha 5,952,61604 Mingo 4,819,50205 Webster 4,515,89706 Raleigh 3,910,63007 Clay 3,882,96908 Nicholas 3,195,94809 McDowell 2,372,62410 Wyoming 2,031,31111 Fayette 1,863,64912 Wayne 1,163,36813 Monongalia 747,80014 Barbour 648,02015 Brooke 403,85316 Harrison 123,23817 Marion 56,87018 Mineral 48,30019 Lincoln 13,69820 Mercer 12,65021 Upshur 8,32522 Preston 130

Total 66,847,303


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Largest West Virginia Coal Companies - 2006

West Virginia’s Million Ton Mines - Underground 2006Mine Company County Production Employees

1 McElroy McElroy Coal Co. Marshall 10,477,398 7652 Loveridge Consolidation Coal Co. Marion 6,383,219 5243 Robinson Run No. 95 Consolidation Coal Co. Harrison 5,731,606 5384 Blacksville No. 2 Consolidation Coal Co. Monongalia 4,866,072 5155 Federal No. 2 Eastern Associated Coal Corp. Monongalia 4,621,955 4926 Camp Creek No. 1 Rockspring Development, Inc. Wayne 2,735,790 2887 Mountaineer Alma A Mingo Logan Coal Co. Mingo 2,255,263 3158 American Eagle Speed Mining, Inc. Kanawha 2,247,637 1269 Pinnacle Pinnacle Mining Co., LLC Wyoming 2,014,206 337

10 Whitetail Kittanning Kingwood Mining Co., LLC Preston 1,377,168 25211 Upper Mercer Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC Webster 1,330,753 6112 Eagle Newtown Energy, Inc. Kanawha 1,291,798 18113 Harris No. 1 Eastern Associated Coal Corp. Boone 1,288,998 33914 Castle Elk Run Coal Co., Inc. Boone 1,163,699 13015 Europa Jupiter Holdings, LLC Boone 1,114,009 11616 Big Mountain No. 16 Pine Ridge Coal Co. Boone 1,089,239 13517 Rivers Edge Rivers Edge Mining, Inc. Boone 1,037,436 20518 Laurel Creek Coalburg Spartan Mining Co. Boone 1,002,239 74

Company Production Corporate Affiliation1 Consolidation Coal Co. 21,329,688 CONSOL Energy, Inc.2 McElroy Coal Co. 10,419,126 CONSOL Energy, Inc.3 Independence Coal Co., Inc. 8,543,590 Massey Energy Co.4 Eastern Associated Coal Corp. 6,001,981 Peabody Energy Corp.5 Alex Energy, Inc. 4,930,130 Massey Energy Co.6 Elk Run Coal Co., Inc. 4,829,383 Massey Energy Co.7 Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC 4,459,824 Alpha Natural Resources, Inc8 Catenary Coal Co. 4,322,393 Magnum Coal Co.9 Fola Coal Co., Inc. 3,942,353 AMVEST Mineral Co., LLC

10 Hobet Mining, Inc. 3,904,836 Magnum Coal Co.11 Speed Mining, Inc. 3,399,986 Magnum Coal Co.12 Rockspring Development, Inc. 3,018,448 Riverton Coal Production, Inc.13 Mingo Logan Coal Co. 2,784,939 Arch Coal, Inc.14 Arch of West Virginia 2,758,922 Magnum Coal Co.15 Pinnacle Mining Co., LLC 2,688,662 PinOak Resources16 Marfork Coal Co., Inc. 2,628,200 Massey Energy Co.17 Appalachian Fuels, LLC 2,447,61718 Newtown Energy, Inc. 2,434,42719 Performance Coal Co. 2,240,612 Massey Energy Co.20 Argus Energy WV LLC 1,985,93621 Aracoma Coal Co., Inc. 1,832,040 Massey Energy Co.22 Evergreen Mining Co. 1,753,655 International Coal Group, Inc.23 Legacy Resources, LLC 1,728,00624 Spartan Mining Co. 1,720,899 Massey Energy Co.25 Long Branch Energy 1,712,496




CONSOL Energy, Inc. 31,748,814Consolidation Coal Co. 21,329,688McElroy Coal Co. 10,419,126

Massey Coal Co., Inc. 31,615,996Independence Coal Co. 8,543,590Alex Energy, Inc. 4,930,130Elk Run Coal Co., Inc. 4,829,383Marfork Coal Co. 2,628,200Performance Coal Co. 2,240,612Aracoma Coal Co., LLC 1,832,040 Spartan Mining Co. 1,720,899Road Fork Development Co., Inc. 1,384,417Highland Mining Co. 1,008,090Mammoth Coal Co. 908,043White Buck Coal Co. 812,642Bandmill Coal Corp. 707,588Rum Creek Coal Sales, Inc. 70,362

Magnum 16,971,663Catenary, LLC 4,322,393Hobet , LLC 3,904,836Speed Mining, Inc. 3,399,986Apogee, LLC 2,758,922Dakota Mining, Inc. 1,053,830Mystic , LLC 960,042Remington Coal Co., Inc. 571,654

Alpha Natural Resources Services, LLC9,091,236Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC 4,459,824Calloway Natural Resources 3,122,196Kingwood Mining Co., LLC 1,509,216

Peabody Energy Corp. 8,713,629Eastern Associated Coal Corp. 6,001,981Rivers Edge Mining, Inc. 1,629,398Pine Ridge Coal Co. 1,082,250

Riverton Coal Production, Inc. 7,007,134Rockspring Development, Inc. 3,018,448Laurel Creek Co., Inc. 1,443,474Simmons Fork 1,394,501Kingston Mining, Inc. 1,150,711

Arch Coal, Inc. 5,787,758Mingo Logan Coal Co. 2,784,939Coal-Mac, Inc. 1,544,910Phoenix Coal-Mac Mining, Inc. 963,579Point Mining, Inc. 494,330

AMVEST Mineral Co., LLC 4,833,915Fola Coal Co., Inc. 3,942,353Powellton Coal Co., LLC 736,941Little Eagle Coal Co. 154,621

International Coal Group, Inc. 4,562,306ICG Eastern 2,662,242Anker WV Mining Co., Inc. 1,157,419Baylor Mining 544,351Patriot Mining Co., Inc. 198,294

Largest West Virginia Coal Producers - 2006

Mine Company County Production Employees1 Twilight MTR Independence Coal Co. Boone 4,496,631 2752 No. 1 Fola Coal Co., Inc. Clay 3,882,969 147 3 Samples Catenary Coal Co. Kanawha 3,648,617 3544 Birch River ICG Eastern, LLC 3,048,801 2375 Westridge Surface Hobet Mining, Inc. Boone 2,713,860 2436 No. 1 Alex Energy, Inc. Nicholas 2,665,502 2277 Guyan Arch of West Virginia, Inc. Logan 2,719,942 2048 Toney’s Fork Surface Appalachian Fuels, LLC 1,810,640 1759 Phoenix Surface #4 Phoenix Coal-Mac Mining, Inc. 1,771,547 95

10 No. 10 White Flame Energy, Inc. 1,554,200 96 11 Seven Pines Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC 1,467,096 6812 Synergy No. 1 Legacy Resources, LLC Boone 1,366,669 7513 Edwight Surface Independence Coal Co. Raleigh 1,318,963 15214 Copley Trace Surface Argus Energy WV, LLC 1,163,368 8015 Coal Mountain Surface Dynamic Energy, Inc. 1,147,294 7116 Rockhouse Branch Surface Roadfork Development Co., Inc. Logan 1,139,999 7917 Laxare Elk Run Coal Co., Inc. 1,098,344 8918 Jule Fork Hobet Mining, Inc. 1,070,883 5719 Republic Energy Elk Run Coal Co., Inc. 1,047,979 84

West Virginia Million Ton Mines - Surface 2006


source - West Virginia Office of Miners’Health Safety & Training

Coal Facts 2007 9


10 WVCA

West Virginia Coal Production by Month - 2006

West Virginia Coal Production by Method - 2006

Underground Surface TotalJanuary 8,479,900 5,814,861 14,294,761February 7,717,561 5,228,140 12,945,701March 8,875,633 6,060,439 14,936,072April 7,857,945 5,139,524 12,997,469May 8,712,707 5,993,367 14,706,074June 7,982,339 5,787,201 13,769,540July 5,713,686 4,901,127 10,614,813August 7,751,494 5,721,575 13,473,069September 7,338,088 5,681,253 13,019,341October 7,866,047 6,025,386 13,891,433November 6,890,113 5,384,658 12,274,771December 6,802,768 5,109,772 11,912,540Total 91,988,281 66,847,303 158,835,584

County Continuous Longwall Auger Mountaintop Other Surface TotalBarbour 865,189 0 0 0 648,020 1,513,209Boone 10,757,542 2,215,439 0 13,469,938 6,321,221 32,764,140Braxton 1,175,458 0 0 0 0 1,175,458Brooke 0 0 0 0 403,853 403,853Clay 0 0 0 3,882,969 0 3,882,969Fayette 1,666,331 0 0 799,023 1,064,626 3,529,980Grant 175,754 0 0 0 0 175,754Greenbrier 406,755 0 0 0 0 406,755Harrison 1,134,496 5,136,663 2,593 0 123,238 6,396,990Kanawha 5,747,820 1,804,006 0 4,494,204 1,458,412 13,504,442Lincoln 840,344 0 0 0 13,698 854,042Logan 2,363,189 227,152 0 6,773,936 4,510,510 13,875,087Marion 663,345 5,719,874 0 0 56,870 6,440,089Marshall 1,005,683 10,436,456 0 0 0 11,442,139McDowell 3,413,623 48,556 0 193,347 2,179,277 5,834,803Mercer 0 0 75,250 0 17,738 230,831Mineral 0 0 0 0 48,300 48,300Mingo 4,605,704 1,533,028 0 2,660,956 2,158,546 10,958,234Monongalia 2,290,154 8,257,355 0 0 747,800 11,295,309Nicholas 1,334,178 0 0 2,941,098 254,850 4,530,126Preston 1,377,168 0 0 0 130 1,377,298Raleigh 4,808,053 359,225 0 2,730,842 1,179,788 9,077,908Randolph 1,222,807 0 0 0 0 1,222,807Tucker 396,834 164,082 0 0 0 560,916Upshur 1,346,841 0 0 0 8,325 1,355,166Wayne 3,672,220 0 0 0 1,163,368 4,835,588Webster 1,335,718 0 0 4,515,897 0 5,851,615Wyoming 1,628,817 1,616,165 0 259,467 1,771,884 5,276,293TOTAL 54,392,437 37,518,001 77,843 42,721,677 24,125,626 158,835,584




Coal Facts 2007 11

Transportation of West Virginia Coal - 2006

Coal Use at West Virginia Power Plants - 2006

County Rail River Truck Belt Stock-PiledBarbour 684,630Boone 8,293,931 169,828 2,416,677 1,560,660 16,648Braxton 688,279Fayette 70,289 67,022 337,534Grant 171,309Greenbrier 202,686 211,266 1,234Harrison 353,681 5,442,430Kanawha 762,537 2,732,542 1,353,794 39,236 1,944,672Logan 1,506,911 459,444Marion 6,412,333Marshall 11,442,139McDowell 1,598,110 3,328 1,082,472 2,387 12,463Mercer 218,181Mingo 2,725,188 2,362,785 1,282Monongalia 9,678,687 1,059,442Nicholas 665,900 255,562 1,453 2,331Preston 1,377,168Raleigh 4,427,632 104,849 659,304 6,672Randolph 1,222,807Tucker 488,360Upshur 297,673 1,057,408Wayne 2,732,254 945,950Webster 795,724Wyoming 1,783,957 628,574 611,504 37,829Total 87,941,361 17,233,499 33,655,054 8,424,616 3,421,054

Totals do not match production totals due to non-reporting and to the fact that coal distribution may cross annualyear boundaries.

Capacity inFacility County Utility Megawatts 1999 2006John Amos Putnam AEP 2,900 6,955,609 8,110,452Harrison Harrison Allegheny 1,920 5,365,292 5,763,865Mount Storm Grant Dominion 1,575 4,224,035 4,500,000Mitchell Marshall AEP 1,460 3,602,513 2,973,951Mountaineer Tyler AEP 1,300 3,296,708 2,969,742Pleasants Mason Allegheny 1,223 3,283,885 3,487,940Fort Martin Mason Allegheny 1,107 3,032,453 3,261,846Philip Sporn Monongalia AEP 1,050 2,354,822 2,096,407Kammer Wetzel AEP 630 1,654,614 1,344,961Kanawha River Kanawha AEP 425 870,776 815,915Albright Preston Allegheny 292 516,124 523,270Willow Island Pleasants Allegheny 243 594,921 435,181Rivesville Marion Allegheny 142 173,982 110,019Total West Virginia 14,267 35,925,734 36,393,549


source - AEP, Allegheny, Dominion


12 WVCA

West Virginia Coal Production by Seam - 2006Seam Underground Surface TotalAlma 645,302 258,114 903,416Alma A 2,255,263 0 2,255,263Bakerstown 175,754 0 175,754Beckley 1,155,945 113,453 1,269,398Bens Creek 0 27,365 27,365Cedar Grove 1,634,971 1,278,314 2,913,285Chilton 0 418,526 418,526Chilton Rider 168,482 0 168,482Clarion 12,162 6,213,772 6,225,934Coalburg 7,544,812 17,634,730 25,179,542Douglas 936,951 0 936,951Eagle 5,260,616 24,566 5,285,182Eagle A 0 50,092 50,092Elk Lick 0 31,579 31,579Fire Creek 691,020 649,053 1,340,073Gilbert 104,248 38,070 142,318Glenalum Tunnel 628,202 0 628,202Hernshaw 212,382 515,632 728,014Iaeger 148,583 0 148,583Little Alma 176,402 0 176,402Little Chilton 682,202 0 682,202Little Eagle 141,972 0 141,972Little Fire Creek 366,148 468,063 834,211Lower Campbell Creek 532,679 0 532,679Lower Cedar Grove 721,634 78,267 799,901Lower Kittanning 2,497,687 9,458,036 11,955,723Lower Winifrede 1,224,467 0 1,224,467Middle Kittanning 2,497,687 5,268,909 7,432,566No. 2 Gas 1,733,921 631,949 2,365,870Peerless 3,852,601 0 3,852,601Pittsburgh 33,662,934 792,258 34,455,192Pocahontas 2 259,443 0 259,443Pocahontas 3 3,961,521 674,939 4,636,460Pocahontas 4 5,608 66,801 72,409Pocahontas 5 0 545,698 545,698Pocahontas 6 357,832 12,650 370,482Pocahontas 7 83,291 0 83,291Pocahontas 9 0 16,886 16,886Powellton 3,387,042 1,352,115 4,739,157Powellton A 415,078 415,078Redstone 342,536 353,970 696,506Refuse Processing 218,181 58,066 276,247Sewell 2,601,177 94,699 2,695,876Sewickley 1,059,442 8,911 1,068,353Stockton-Lewiston 2,883,677 8,817,513 11,701,190Upper Freeport 560,916 91,377 652,293Upper Kittanning 1,591,781 6,070,432 7,662,213Upper Mercer 1,330,753 0 1,330,753Washington 0 47,959 47,959Waynesburg 0 689,726 689,726Welch 41,550 0 41,550Williamson 281,116 2,336,713 2,617,829Williamson Rider 0 437,115 437,115Winifrede 3,276,022 1,216,243 4,492,265Total 91,988,281 66,847,303 158,835,584



Coal Facts 2007 13

Original RemainingMineable RecoverableReserves Reserves

Barbour 3,585,619,298 1,582,542,110Boone 8,142,970,465 3,685,104,792Braxton 2,323,332,633 1,111,009,699Brooke 360,000,000 55,434,255Cabell 44,167,156 0Calhoun 251,017,114 0Clay 3,237,869,854 1,829,740,083Doddridge 1,119,317,757 671,587,864Fayette 4,420,505,039 1,850,495,007Gilmer 1,019,245,455 495,526,312Grant 969,014,155 482,627Greenbrier 1,220,293,321 634,139,604Hancock 500,000,000 246,659,014Harrison 2,172,730,581 488,251,512Kanawha 5,901,324,612 2,659,973,118Lewis 2,776,037,160 1,364,763,631Lincoln 1,770,813,665 1,044,577,738Logan 8,149,879,105 3,494,847,410Marion 4,317,089,326 1,421,383,522Marshall 4,448,857,374 1,868,137,238Mason 339,976,480 150,774,049McDowell 5,340,598,171 1,644,291,273


Original RemainingMineable Recoverable Reserves Reserves

Mercer 506,829,312 99,535,892Mineral 809,34,066 360,932,566Mingo 6,332,263,181 3,021,721,832Monongalia 3,748,630,971 977,123,989Nicholas 6,172,807,449 3,363,188,424Ohio 910,000,000 336,292,256Pocahontas 508,644,743 299,843,805Preston 3,212,323,508 1,393,120,746Putnam 433,090,336 238,231,342Raleigh 4,283,368,282 1,630,065,424Randolph 4,183,643,819 2,414,625,010Roane 674,768,973 0Summers 18,678,528 10,676,345Taylor 1,327,673,239 613,961,430Tucker 486,964,209 177,380,400Tyler 948,133,232 474,066,616Upshur 3,554,551,754 1,672,483,211Wayne 1,471,495,778 789,456,163Webster 6,305,536,510 3,658,059,757Wetzel 3,321,923,236 1,660,868,193Wirt 22,302,720 11,151,360Wyoming 5,061,292,844 2,411,342,382TOTAL 116,705,415,411 52,300,602,979

Marsh

all

Brooke

Hancock

Monongalia

Ohio

Wetzel

TylerTaylor

Dodd

ridge

WirtUps

hur

BarbourTucker

Mason

Nicholas

Fayette Greenbrier

Clay

Boone

Kanawha

Mingo

Logan

McDowell Mercer

Summ

ers

Lewis

Wyoming

Raleigh

Wayne Lincoln

Putnam

Pocahontas

Braxton

Webster

Preston

Randolph

Grant

Mineral

Gilmer

Har-rison

Marion

1 billion + tons

100 million - 1 billion tons

0 - 100 million tons

No Coal Reserves

West Virginia Coal Reserves


14 WVCA

West Virginia Coal Production and Employment 1900-2006Production Employment

1900 22,647,207 29,0171901 24,088,402 32,3861902 24,570,826 36,1471903 29,337,241 39,4521904 32,406,752 45,4921905 37,791,580 49,9501906 43,290,350 53,7691907 48,091,583 56,2561908 49,000,000 60,1891909 49,697,018 62,1891910 59,274,708 68,1351911 60,517,167 70,6441912 66,731,587 69,6111913 69,182,791 70,3211914 73,666,981 76,0411915 71,812,917 81,3281916 89,165,772 80,0581917 89,383,449 88,6651918 90,766,636 92,1321919 84,980,551 91,5661920 89,590,271 97,4261921 90,452,996 116,7261922 79,394,786 107,7091923 97,474,177 121,2801924 156,570,631 115,9641925 123,061,985 111,7081926 144,603,574 120,6381927 146,088,121 119,6181928 133,866,587 112,7151929 139,297,148 107,3931930 122,429,767 107,8321931 102,698,420 97,9531932 86,114,506 86,8291933 94,130,508 95,3671934 98,441,233 106,5901935 99,441,233 109,7791936 118,965,066 111,6251937 118,965,066 115,0521938 93,511,099 103,7351939 108,515,665 104,0221940 126,619,825 130,4571941 140,944,744 112,8751942 156,752,598 112,8171943 160,429,576 105,5851944 164,954,218 103,1461945 151,909,714 97,3801946 143,977,874 102,3931947 173,653,816 116,4211948 168,589,033 125,6691949 122,913,540 121,1211950 145,563,295 119,5681951 163,448,001 111,5621952 142,181,271 100,862

Production Employment1953 131,872,563 84,0931954 113,039,046 64,8491955 137,073,372 54,3211956 150,401,233 68,3181957 150,220,548 66,7921958 115,245,791 55,0651959 117,770,002 52,3521960 120,107,994 48,6961961 111,370,863 42,5571962 117,018,419 43,4561963 128,924,165 44,8541964 139,361,204 44,2051965 149,236,013 44,8851966 148,826,592 43,3441967 152,461,567 42,7421968 145,113,560 41,5731969 139,315,720 41,9411970 143,132,284 45,2611971 118,317,785 48,8581972 122,856,378 48,1901973 115,239,146 45,0411974 101,713,580 46,0261975 109,048,898 55,2561976 108,793,594 59,8021977 95,405,977 61,8151978 84,697,048 62,9821979 112,380,883 58,5651980 121,583,762 55,5021981 112,813,972 55,4111982 128,778,076 53,9411983 115,135,454 35,8311984 131,040,566 39,9501985 127,867,375 35,9131986 130,787,233 32,3291987 137,672,276 28,8851988 144,917,788 28,1001989 151,834,721 28,3231990 171,155,053 28,8761991 166,715,271 27,4791992 163,797,710 27,0651993 133,700,856 22,3861994 164,200,572 21,4141995 167,096,211 21,6021996 174,008,217 18,9391997 181,914,000 18,1651998 180,794,012 17,3821999 169,206,834 14,8452000 169,370,602 14,2812001 175,052,857 15,7292002 163,896,890 15,3772003 144,899,599 14,8712004 153,631,633 16,0372005 159,498,069 17,9922006 158,835,584 20,533



Coal Facts 2007 15

The Severance Tax

2006 Severance Tax ReceiptsCounty Unincorporated Production County Total Municipalities Grand TotalBarbour $36,581.72 $97,966.87 $134,515.59 $17,883.05 $152,398.64Berkeley $212,485.01 $0.00 $212,485.01 $53,256.94 $265,741.95Boone $75,596.68 $4,222,107.27 $4,297,703.95 $13,800.90 $4,311,504.85Braxton $41,875.24 $70,384.25 $112,259.49 $9,596.23 $121,855.72Brooke $49,549.39 $0.00 $49,549.39 $28,105.86 $77,655.25

Cabell $154,176.20 $0.00 $154,176.20 $199,079.73 $353,255.93Calhoun $24,566.41 $0.00 $24,566.41 $1,978.06 $26,544.47Clay $34,089.02 $493,385.52 $527,474.54 $2,076.05 $529,550.59Doddridge $23,095.98 $0.00 $23,095.98 $2,821.77 $25,917.75Fayette $107,305.06 $447,025.22 $554,330.28 $61,239.20 $615,569.48

Gilmer $19,045.34 $0.00 $19,045.34 $6,021.72 $25,067.06Grant $30,027.89 $15,400.38 $45,428.27 $9,529.64 $54,957.91Greenbrier $80,326.48 $76,204.33 $156,530.81 $40,817.64 $197,348.45Hampshire $63,238.23 $0.00 $63,238.23 $7,491.98 $70,730.21Hancock $41,420.10 $0.00 $41,420.10 $84,380.65 $125,800.75

Hardy $35,177.82 $0.00 $35,177.82 $9,176.12 $44,353.94Harrison $119,246.86 $75,804.82 $195,051.68 $121,102.43 $316,154.11Jackson $72,491.34 $0.00 $72,491.34 $25,536.13 $98,027.47Jefferson $119,653.00 $0.00 $119,653.00 $29,053.35 $148,706.35Kanawha $267,617.11 $1,009,606.50 $1,277,223.61 $358,752.81 $1,635,976.42

Lewis $42,697.94 $0.00 $42,697.94 $16,535.12 $59,233.06Lincoln $71,045.41 $609,702.98 $680,748.39 $6,354.27 $687,102.66Logan $116,862.75 $1,889,258.78 $2,006,121.53 $15,159.10 $2,021,280.63Marion $94,067.87 $1,375,732.16 $1,469,800.03 $93,143.28 $1,562,943.31Marshall $66,844.24 $1,723,697.87 $1,790,542.11 $68,026.10 $1,858,568.21

Mason $62,040.86 $0.00 $62,040.86 $28,834.46 $90,875.32McDowell $70,950.89 $592,586.43 $663,537.32 $24,727.40 $688,264.72Mercer $151,224.88 $0.00 $151,224.88 $69,266.83 $220,491.71Mineral $65,916.49 $7,020.67 $72,937.16 $28,390.97 $101,328.13Mingo $81,366.29 $1,619,613.30 $1,700,979.59 $17,188.20 $1,718,167.79

In 1987, West Virginia enacted a severance tax oncoal. The tax amounts to 5% of the saled price ofmined coal.

Of this amount, the State retains 93%. The remain-ing 7% is apportaioned among the State’s 55 countiesand it’s 228 incorporated municipalities.

Three-fourths of the 7% share is divided among thecoal producing counties. This money is apportionedaccording to each county’s production level. Theremaining quarter of the 7% is divided among all coun-ties and municipalities, according to population.

All incorporated communities receive a share,based on population, Each county receives an addi-tional share, based on the population of the unicorpo-rated areas of the county.

The total severance tax collections for 2006amounted to more than $300 million. A total of$25,438,861.36 was distributed to all counties andmunicipalities. Of this amount, $18,992,932.01 repre-sented coal production in the 27 coal producing coun-ties.


16 WVCA

County Unincorporated Production County Total Municipalities Grand TotalMonongalia $170,837.37 $697,299.08 $868,136.45 $115,773.94 $983,910.39Monroe $46,654.55 $0.00 $46,654.55 $3,665.52 $50,320.07Morgan $48,159.49 $0.00 $48,159.49 $4,155.65 $52,315.14Nicholas $72,788.36 $540,526.14 $613,314.50 $20,204.18 $633,518.68Ohio $36,644.78 $0.00 $36,644.78 $129,903.75 $166,548.53

Pendleton $25,903.76 $0.00 $25,903.76 $2,790.25 $28,694.01Pleasants $15,617.89 $0.00 $15,617.89 $10,688.52 $26,306.41Pocahontas $25,984.29 $0.00 $25,984.29 $5,983.16 $31,967.45Preston $77,154.61 $169,177.41 $246,332.02 $25,543.32 $271,875.34Putnam $138,124.20 $0.00 $138,124.20 $38,426.70 $176,550.90

Raleigh $205,528.60 $1,167,475.25 $1,373,003.85 $71,819.12 $1,444,822.97Randolph $67,117.28 $70,597.46 $137,714.74 $31,927.49 $169,642.23Ritchie $22,385.26 $0.00 $22,385.26 $13,825.46 $36,210.72Roane $45,148.67 $0.00 $45,148.67 $8,927.51 $54,076.18Summers $35,426.44 $0.00 $35,426.44 $10,082.84 $45,509.28

Taylor $36,105.62 $0.00 $36,105.62 $20,221.66 $56,327.28Tucker $14,763.64 $50,618.77 $65,382.41 $10,967.22 $76,349.63Tyler $21,317.47 $0.00 $21,317.47 $9,162.06 $30,479.53Upshur $61,893.85 $91,568.87 $153,462.72 $20,043.12 $173,505.84Wayne $110,954.56 $252,603.46 $363,558.02 $24,800.98 $388,359.00

Webster $28,851.59 $606,016.74 $634,868.33 $5,174.42 $640,042.75Wetzel $30,258.97 $218,180.73 $248,439.70 $34,785.76 $283,225.46Wirt $17,081.30 $0.00 $17,081.30 $3,479.95 $20,561.25Wood $140,564.35 $0.00 $140,564.35 $167,472.90 $308,037.25Wyoming $75,890.25 $722,265.03 $798,155.28 $14,122.95 $812,278.23

Total $4,077,641.26 $18,992,932.01 $23,070,573.27 $2,253,336.09 $25,438,861.36

source - West Virginia Treasurer’s Office

2006 Severance Tax Receipts

2006 Severance Tax Receipts by Local GovernmentCounty/Municipality 2006 Receipts

Barbour County $$134,515.59Philippi $10,047.83Belington $6,259.76Junior $1,575.46

Berkeley County $212,485.01Martinsburg $52,416.70Hedgesville $840.24

Boone County $4,297,703.95Madison $9,372.14Danville $1,925.56Whitesville $1,820.53Sylvester $682.67

County/Municipality 2006 Receipts

Braxton County $112,259.49Sutton $3,539.52Gassaway $3,154.40Burnsville $1,683.97Flat Woods $1,218.34

Brooke County $49,549.39Follansbee $10,905.55Wellsburg $10,121.33Bethany $3,448.48Beech Bottom $2,121.58Windsor Heights $1,508.92

Cabell County $154,176.20Huntington $180,212.97Barboursville $11,143.60Milton $7,723.16


Coal Facts 2007 17

2006 Severance Tax Receipts by Local GovernmentCounty/Town Receipts for 2006

Calhoun County $24,566.41Grantsville $1,978.06

Clay County $527,474.54Clay $2,076.05

Doddridge County $23,095.98West Union $2,821.77

Fayette County $554,330.28Oak Hill $26,568.97Fayetteville $9,641.70Montgomery $6,798.90Ansted $5,517.58Mount Hope $5,205.97Smithers $3,164.85Gauley Bridge $2,583.74Meadow Bridge $1,123.82Pax $609.16Thurmond $24.51

Gilmer County $19,045.34Glenville $5,405.52Sand Fork $616.20

Grant County $45,428.27Petersburg $8,482.87Bayard $1,046.77

Greenbrier County $156,530.81Lewisburg $12,687.54White Sulphur Springs $8,104.79Ronceverte $5,451.04Rainelle $5,409.00Alderson $3,619.71Rupert $3,290.91Quinwood $1,522.92Falling Springs $731.73

Hampshire County $63,238.23Romney $6,791.86Capon Bridge $700.12

Hancock County $41,420.10Weirton $71,458.50Chester $9,074.56New Cumberland $3,847.59

Hardy County $35,177.82Moorefield $8,314.85Wardensville $861.27

County/Town Receipts for 2006

Harrison County $195,051.68Clarksburg $58,616.93Bridgeport $25,578.16Shinnston $8,034.78Salem $7,022.96Stonewood $6,354.28Nutter Fort $5,902.62Lumberport $3,280.40Anmore $2,398.18West Milford $2,279.15Lost Creek $1,634.97

Jackson County $72,491.34Ravenswood $14,112.45Ripley $11,423.68

Jefferson County $119,653.00Ranson $11,331.39Charles Town $10,177.36Bolivar $3,658.54Shepherdstown $2,811.26Harpers Ferry $1,074.80

Kanawha County $1,277,223.61Charleston $187,025.87South Charleston $46,878.11St. Albans $40,494.84Dunbar $28,546.72Nitro $23,890.70Marmet $5,927.19Chesapeake $5,752.14Belle $4,407.75Clendenin $3,907.10East Bank $3,266.51Cedar Grove $3,017.86Glasgow $2,741.26Pratt $1,929.42Handley $1,267.34

Lewis $42,697.94Weston $15,113.75Jane Lew $1,421.37

Lincoln County $680,748.39Hamlin $3,917.61West Hamlin $2,436.66

Logan County $2,006,121.53Logan $5,706.61Chapmanville $4,239.66Man $2,695.73West Logan $1,463.31Mitchell Heights $1,053.79


18 WVCA


Marion County $1,469,800.03Fairmont $66,858.23Mannington $7,435.79Barracksville $4,509.24Monongah $3,287.42Rivesville $3,196.38Grant Town $2,300.17White Hall $2,083.07Fairview $1,522.92Farmington $1,354.89Worthington $595.17

Marshall County $1,790,542.11Moundsville $35,002.83Pleasant Valley $10,937.08McMechen $6,781.42Benwood $5,549.05Glen Dale $5,433.51Cameron $4,322.21

Mason County $62,040.86Pt. Pleasant $16,234.02New Haven $5,457.99Mason $3,725.02Hartford $1,816.98Henderson $1,137.80Leon $462.65

McDowell County $663,537.32Welch $9,393.15Gary $3,210.37War $2,758.79Northfork $1,816.98Keystone $1,585.98Kimball $1,438.91Davy $1,305.89Iaeger $1,253.34Bradshaw $1,011.75Anawalt $952.24

Mercer County $151,224.88Bluefield $40,089.71Princeton $22,220.71Athens $3,858.09Bramwell $1,491.38Matoaka $1,109.83Oakvale $497.11


Mineral County $72,937.16Keyser $18,565.71Piedmont $3,339.91Carpendale $3,057.88Ridgely $2,667.75Elk Garden $759.72

Mingo County $1,700,979.59Williamson $11,593.58Matewan $1,743.48Delbarton $1,659.48Gilbert $1,459.93Kermit $731.73

Monongalia County $868,136.45Morgantown $93,857.81Westover $13,797.35Star City $4,782.36Granville $2,723.78Blacksville $612.64

Monroe County $46,654.55Union $1,918.54Peterstown $1,746.98

Morgan County $48,159.49Bath (Berkeley Springs) $2,321.13Paw Paw $1,834.52

Nicholas County $613,314.50Summersville $11,532.26Richwood $8,671.92

Ohio County $36,644.78Wheeling $109,997.24Bethlehem $9,281.09West Liberty $4,271.20Triadelphia $2,860.28Clearview $2,076.05Valley Grove $1,417.89

Pendleton County $25,903.76Franklin $2,790.25

Pleasants County $15,617.89St. Marys $7,061.50Belmont $3,627.02

Pocahontas County $25,984.29Marlinton $4,215.17Durbin $917.23Hillsboro $850.76


Coal Facts 2007 19


Preston County $246,332.02Kingwood $10,306.89Terra Alta $5,097.45Masontown $2,265.16Rowelsburg $2,146.09Reedsville $1,810.03Newburg $1,260.38Tunnelton $1,176.37Albright $864.75Brandonville $357.14Bruceton Mills $259.06

Putnam County $138,124.20Hurricane $18,282.08Winfield $6,504.84Eleanor $4,708.79Buffalo $4,099.63Poca $3,546.49Bancroft $1,284.87

Raleigh County $1,373,003.85Beckley $60,405.94Mabscott $4,911.88Sophia $4,554.77Lester $1,127.30Rhodell $819.23

Randolph County $137,714.74Elkins $24,618.90Mill Creek $2,317.65Beverly $2,279.15Coalton $964.75Huttonsville $759.72Montrose $546.17Harman $441.15

Ritchie County $22,385.26Harrisville $6,448.79Pennsboro $4,197.69Ellenboro $1,305.89Cairo $920.78Pullman $591.70Auburn $360.61

Roane County $45,148.67Spencer $8,234.33Reedy $693.18


Summers County $35,426.44Hinton $10,082.84

Taylor County $36,105.62Grafton $19,216.86Flemington $1,004.80

Tucker $65,382.41Parsons $5,121.95Davis $2,184.63Thomas $1,582.43Hendricks $1,116.94Hambleton $961.27

Tyler County $21,317.47Sistersville $5,559.55Middlebourne $3,045.83Friendly $556.68

Upshur County $153,462.72Buckhannon $20,043.12

Wayne County $363,558.02Kenova $12,200.94Ceredo $5,864.13Wayne $3,868.61Fort Gay $2,867.30

Webster County $634,868.33Webster Springs $2,828.80Cowen $1,795.97Camden-On-Gauley $549.65

Wetzel County $248,439.70New Martinsville $20,949.84Paden City $10,012.82Pine Grove $1,999.07Hundred $1,204.35Smithfield $619.68

Wirt County $17,081.30Elizabeth $3,479.95

Wood County $140,564.35Parkersburg $115,878.98Vienna $38,024.17Williamstown $10,488.91North Hills $3,080.84

Wyoming County $798,155.28Mullens $6,193.22

source - West Virginia Treasurer’s Office


20 WVCA

UNDERGROUNDPermit No. Company Acres County Nearest P.O.U200105 Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC 63.10 Webster ErbaconU200306 Consolidation Coal Co. 15.82 Marshall BenwoodU200405 Little Eagle Coal Co., LLC 25.60 Clay BickmoreU201005 Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC 5.82 Braxton Little BirchU201105 Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC 4.16 Braxton Little BirchU300704 Kanawha Energy Co. 22.93 Kanawha MammothU300705 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 19.52 Greenbrier RupertU301205 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 21.29 Greenbrier RupertU301605 Gatling, LLC 62.24 Mason New HavenU400206 Encoal Energy, LLC 2.72 McDowell HensleyU400604 DDS Leasing, Inc. 3.64 McDowell CarettaU400805 Southern Minerals, Inc. 13.26 McDowell GaryU500205 Eastern Associated Coal, LLC 29.43 Boone WhartonU500206 Loadout, LLC 48.18 Boone AshfordU500305 Elk Run Coal Co., Inc. 16.42 Boone SylvesterU500506 Pine Ridge Coal Co., LLC 8.23 Boone SethU500705 Consol of Kentucky, Inc. 7.82 Mingo NolanU500805 Loadout, LLC 40.60 Boone AshfordU501005 Black Walnut Coal Co. 16.26 Boone Bim

SURFACEPermit No. Company Acres County Nearest P.O.S200205 Brooks Run Mining Co., LLC 121.00 Webster ErbaconS200206 Patriot Mining Co., Inc. 81.00 Monongalia EverettvilleS200506 Duckworth Coal, Inc. 134.00 Mineral PantherS200603 ICG Eastern, LLC 465.70 Webster TiogaS200605 Fola Coal Co., LLC 88.12 Clay BickmoreS200606 Coalex, Inc. 20.29 Harrison ShinnstonS201106 United Coals, Inc. 87.56 Harrison West MilfordS300105 New Land Leasing Co., Inc. 164.00 Fayette PaxS300106 Pocahontas Coal Co., LLC 186.68 Raleigh RhodellS300306 Eagle Ridge Development Group, LLC 15.91 Fayette LaylandS300404 Keystone Development 375.75 Kanawha MarmetS300405 Tyler Morgan, LLC 640.18 Kanawha EskdaleS300505 Cliff Resources, LLC 97.50 Fayette ClifftopS300706 Alex Energy, Inc. 77.35 Nicholas GilboaS300805 Oxford Mining Co. 167.00 Greenbrier RupertS300905 Keystone Development 170.85 Kanawha MarmetS301004 Marfork Coal Co., Inc. 1,124.72 Raleigh ColcordS301203 Hanna Land Co., LLC 663.43 Kanawha DorothyS301405 Alex Energy, Inc. 633.49 Nicholas DrennenS301505 Spring Creek Energy Co., LLC 147.57 Nicholas GilboaS301805 Tyler Morgan, LLC 584.19 Kanawha EskdaleS302705 Eagle Ridge Development Group, LLC 35.62 Fayette LaylandS400406 Southern Minerals, Inc. 68.34 McDowell WilcoeS400905 Bluestone Coal Corp. 215.58 McDowell KeystoneS500306 Hobet Mining, LLC 221.00 Boone SpurlockvilleS500605 Apogee Coal Co, LLC 800.53 Logan AmherstdaleS500905 Consol of Kentucky, Inc. 571.88 Mingo BorderlandS500906 Raven Crest Contracting, LLC 192.11 Boone AshfordS501404 Central Appalachia Mining, LLC 1,175.28 Mingo EdgartonS501504 Argus Energy WV, LLC 18.33 Wayne Cove Gap

West Virginia Mining Permits Issued - 2006


Coal Facts 2007 21

County 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007Kanawha 0.00 1,373.78 199.00 2,637.19 992.74 0.00 2,434.40Mingo 1,270.00 2,567.21 0.00 2,519.77 1,703.86 1,152.13 1,747.16Raleigh 0.00 1,446.16 0.00 1,976.06 579.15 0.00 1,311.40Nicholas 2,563.78 0.00 1,152.49 72.32 1,205.70 0.00 858.41Logan 504.54 898.00 235.00 3,346.60 1,168.90 282.99 800.53Boone 0.00 2,758.95 1,330.89 6,314.24 2,049.88 679.70 413.11Fayette 14.42 385.70 0.000 0.00 1,118.05 322.00 313.03McDowell 680.67 214.16 0.00 889.15 248.69 60.78 283.92Greenbrier 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 167.00Clay 0.00 385.70 0.00 1,743.08 0.00 0.00 88.12Wayne 113.94 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 18.33Wyoming 611.59 2,150.22 0.00 0.00 512.76 322.27 0.00Lincoln 0.00 46.74 626.660 0.00 479.72 0.00 0.00Mercer 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00South 5,758.94 12,226.62 2,917.38 19,498.41 10,059.45 2,819.87 6,835.41

County 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Webster 0.00 0.00 0.00 600.00 1,233.22 0.00 576.70Mineral 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 134.00Harrison 37.56 30.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 63.65 107.85Monongalia 100.25 67.20 125.85 90.50 66.00 72.00 81.00Grant 0.00 152.00 281.00 0.00 0.00 266.00 0.00Upshur 849.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 161.00 0.00Marion 58.96 0.00 207.95 0.00 0.00 141.00 0.00Barbour 0.00 43.00 326.34 0.00 0.00 17.49 0.00Brooke 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 441.78 0.00 0.00Preston 137.00 0.00 40.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00North 383.05 292.20 981.14 690.50 1,741.00 721.14 899.55

State Total 6,141.99 12,518.82 3,898.52 20,188.91 11,800.45 3,541.01 7,734.96

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Surface Permits 18 34 17 36 26 16 30Underground Permits 34 20 33 22 21 21 19

Surface Permit Acreage

OTHERPermit No. Company Acres County Nearest P.O.O200706 Consolidation Coal Co. 18.20 Marshall BenwoodO200806 Dlesk Ralty & Investments 1.00 Ohio WheelingO201606 DMV Management, LLC 2.00 Lewis WestonO300605 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 11.00 Greenbrier RupertO301005 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 39.00 Greenbrier RupertO301105 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 8.80 Greenbrier RupertO301106 M&W Contractors 2.90 Raleigh DanielsO301305 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 8.00 Greenbrier RupertO301905 Gatling, LLC 27.90 Mason New HavenO302105 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 70.00 Greenbrier RupertO302205 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 17.00 Greenbrier RupertO302305 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining, LLC 23.00 Greenbrier RupertO500106 Frasure Creek Mining, LLC 26.00 Mingo Panther

West Virginia Mining Permits Issued - 2006

source - West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

source - West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection


22 WVCA

• West Virginia coal is shipped to 33 states and the District of Columbia.

• West Virginia coal is shipped to 25 countries.

• West Virginia provides 50% of all American coal exports.

• West Virginia is the national leader in underground mining production.

• West Virginia is second only to Wyoming in U.S. coal production.

• West Virginia coal is second to none in the value of its coal production at $5 billion.

• The coal industry and the coal burning electric generating industry together represent nearly60% of the business taxes paid to the State of West Virginia.

• West Virginia coal miners earn an average of more than $50,000 annually, more than twicethe amount of the statewide average for all workers.

• West Virginia’s coal industry pays for nearly One Billion Dollars in annual direct wages.

• Every coal mining job generates between five and six other jobs in the local economy.

• Since 1863, West Virginia has mined nearly 13 Billion tons of coal.

• West Virginia’s estimated recoverable coal reserves amount to nearly 53 Billion tons.

• Coal is responsible for more than $3.5 Billion to West Virginia’s gross state product, nearly13% of the total.

• 20% of New York electricity is generated by coal, at an average cost of 13 cents per kilo-watt/hour.

• 99% of West Virginia electricity is generated by coal, at an average cost of 5 cents per kilo-watt/hour.

• More than half of American electricity is generated by coal, at an average cost of 8 cents perkilowatt/hour.

You Need to Know


Coal Facts 2007 23

County Profiles of West Virginia’s Coal Country

Barbour CountyFounded – 1843

Named For – Virginia Judge Philip Pendleton Barbour

County Seat – Philippi

Area/State Rank – 343 square miles – 30th

Population (2000)/State Rank – 15,557 – 36th

Incorporated Communities – Philippi, Belington, Junior

Principal Waterways – Tygart River, BuckhannonRiver, Middle Fork River

Mines 18Employees 289Estimated Direct Wages $18,120,300Severance Tax Receipts $152,398Production 1,513,209 17th

Underground 865,189 20th Surface 648,020 14th

Recoverable Reserves – Tons 1,564,542,110

Major Seams Bakerstown, Kittanning, Pittsburgh, Redstone,Sewickley

Primary ProducersRoblee Coal Co. 330,482Bundy Auger 284,249Anker Mining Co., Inc. 168,397


24 WVCA

Founded – 1847

Named For – Frontiersman Daniel Boone

County Seat – Madison



Incorporated Communities – Madison, Danville, Whitesville, Sylvester

Principal Waterways – Coal River, Little Coal River

Mines 118Employees 4,656Estimated Direct Wages $291,931,200Severance Tax Receipts $4,311,504Production 32,764,140 1st

Underground 12,972,981 1st Surface 19,791,159 1st


Major Seams Cedar Grove, Chilton, Coalburg, Dorothy, Eagle,Hernshaw, Kittanning, No. 2 Gas, Peerless, Powellton,Stockton-Lewiston, Winefrede

Primary ProducersIndependence Coal Co. 7,894,049Elk Run Coal Co. 4,545,085Hobet Mining, Inc. 3,784,743Long Branch Energy 1,655,298Eastern Associated Coal Corp. 1,565,350Legacy Resources, LLC 1,366,669Pine Ridge Coal Co. 1,089,239Rivers Edge Mining, Inc. 1,037,436Spartan Mining Co. 1,002,239Coal River Mining, LLC 746,134Dakota Mining, Inc. 596,661Mountain Edge Mining Inc. 556,620HMC Mining, LLC 452,122Point Mining, Inc. 375,765Pritchard Mining Co., Inc. 326,518Mystic Energy, Inc. 325,874Thunderhill Coal Co., Inc. 292,964Brody Mining, LLC 187,442Mid-Atlantic Minerals, Inc. 133,302Steven R. Mullins Excavating 114,737

Boone County


Coal Facts 2007 25

Braxton County

Founded – 1836

Named For – American founding father Carter Braxton

County Seat – Sutton



Incorporated Communities – Sutton, Gassaway,Burnsville, Flat Woods

Principal Waterways – Elk River, Little Kanawha River,Holley River, Birch River

Mines 3Employees 120Estimated Direct Wages $7,534,000Severance Tax Receipts $121,855Production 1,175,458 21st

Underground 1,175,458 19th Surface 0


Major Seams Bakerstown, Lower Kittanning, Pittsburgh

Primary ProducerBrooks Run Mining Co., LLC 2,642,554

Brooke County

Founded – 1797

Named For – Virginia Governor Robert Brooke

County Seat – Wellsburg



Incorporated Communities – Follansbee, Wellsburg,Bethany, Beech Bottom, Windsor Heights

Principal Waterway – Ohio River

Mines 4Employees 44Estimated Direct Wages $2,758,800Severance Tax Receipts $77,655Production 403,853 25th

Underground 0Surface 403,853 15th

Recoverable Reserves – Tons 55,434,255

Major Seam Pittsburgh

Primary ProducerValley Mining, Inc. 377,957


26 WVCA

Clay County

Founded – 1858

Named For – U.S. Senator Henry Clay

County Seat – Clay

Area/State Rank – 344 square miles 37th

Population (2000)/State Rank – 10,330 45th

Incorporated Communities – Clay

Principal Waterway – Elk River


Underground 0Surface 3,882,969 7th


Major Seams Coalburn, Lower Kittanning, Upper Kittanning

Primary ProducerFola Coal Co., Inc. 3,882,969

Fayette County

Founded – 1831

Named For – French General Marquis de Lafayette

County Seat – Fayetteville



Incorporated Communities – Oak Hill, Fayetteville,Montgomery, Ansted, Mount Hope, Smithers,Gauley Bridge, Meadow Bridge, Pax, Thurmond

Principal Waterways –Kanawha River, Gauley River,New River


Underground 1,666,331 13th Surface 1,863,649 11th


Major Seams Bradshaw, Coalburg, Eagle Firecreek, Gilbert,Kittanning, No. 2 Gas, Peerless, Powellton, Sewell,Stockton-Lewiston

Primary ProducersKingston Mining, Inc. 1,077,836Appalachian Fuels, LLC 701,896Powellton Coal Co., LLC 579,421Frasure Creek Mining, LLC 479,029New Land Leasing Co., Inc. 258,114


Coal Facts 2007 27

Grant County

Founded – 1866

Named For – U.S. President and General Ulysses S.Grant

County Seat – Petersburg


Population (2000)/State Rank – 11,299 – 43rd

Incorporated Communities – Petersburg, Bayard

Principal Waterways – North Branch Potomac River


Underground 175,754 25thSurface 0


Major Seams Bradshaw, Elk Lick, Freeport

Primary ProducerBuffalo Coal Co. 148,471

Greenbrier County

Founded – 1782

Named For – Reference to local foliage

County Seat – Lewisburg

Area/State Rank – 1,024 square miles – 2nd


Incorporated Communities – Lewisburg, WhiteSulphur Springs, Ronceverte, Rainelle, Alderson,Rupert, Quinwood, Falling Springs

Principal Waterways – Greenbrier River, MeadowRiver


Underground 406,755 23rd Surface 0


Major Seams Beckley, Eagle, Pocahontas, Sewell

Primary ProducerWhite Buck Coal Co. 170,558


28 WVCA

Harrison County

Founded – 1784

Named For – American founding father BenjaminHarrison

County Seat – Clarksburg



Incorporated Communities – Clarksburg, Bridgeport,Shinnston, Salem, Stonewood, Nutter Fort,Lumberport, Anmore, West Milford, Lost Creek

Principal Waterway – West Fork River

Mines 21Employees 790Estimated Direct Wages $49, 533,000Severance Tax Receipts $316,154Production 6,396,990 9th

Underground 6,273,752 6th Surface 123,238 16th


Major Seams Pittsburgh, Redstone

Primary ProducersConsolidation Coal Co. 5731606Fairfax Mining Co., Inc. 347,241Anker Mining Co., Inc. 102,567

Kanawha CountyFounded – 1788

Named For – Indian term meaning “place of the whiterock,” referring to local salt deposits

County Seat – Charleston


Population (2000)/State Rank – 200,073 – 1st

Incorporated Communities – Charleston, SouthCharleston, St. Albans, Dunbar, Nitro, Marmet,Chesapeake, Belle, Clendenin, East Bank, CedarGrove, Glasgow, Pratt, Handley

Principal Waterways – Kanawha River, Elk River, CoalRiver, Pocatalico River

Mines 37Employees 1,540Estimated Direct Wages $96,558,000Severance Tax Receipts $1,635,976Production 13,504,442 3rd

Underground 7,551,826 4th Surface 5,952,616 3rd


Major Seams Cedar Grove, Coalburg, Eagle, Hernshaw, Kittanning,No. 2 Gas, PeerPowellton, Stockton-Lewiston,Winefrede

Primary ProducersCatenary Coal Co. 3,648,617Speed Mining, Inc. 2,247,637Newtown Energy, Inc. 1,946,860Spartan Mining Co. 1,497,643Selah Corp. 857,675Pritchard Mining Co. 845,587Remington LLC 696,788Wildcat LLC 552,524


Coal Facts 2007 29

Lincoln County

Founded – 1867

Named For – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln

County Seat – Hamlin


Population (2000)/State Rank – 22,108 – 31st

Incorporated Communities – Hamlin, West Hamlin

Principal Waterways – Guyandotte River

Mines 3Employees 124Estimated Direct Wages $7,774,800Severance Tax Receipts $687,102Production 854,042 22nd

Underground 840,344 21st Surface 13,698 19th


Major Seam Lower Kittanning

Primary ProducerArgus Energy WV, LLC 428,549

Logan County

Founded – 1824

Named For – Mingo Indian Chief

County Seat – Logan

Area/State Rank – 456 square miles – 22nd


Incorporated Communities – Logan, Chapmanville,Man, West Logan, Mitchell Heights


Mines 50Employees 1,741Estimated Direct Wages $109,160,700Severance Tax Receipts $2021,280Production 13,875,087 2nd

Underground 2,590,341 12th Surface 11,284,746 2nd


Major Seams Alma, Belmont, Buffalo Creek, Cedar Grove, Chilton,Coalburg, Dorothy, Eagle, Kittanning, Winifrede,Stockton-Lewiston

Primary ProducersArch of West Virginia, Inc. 2,719,942Phoenix Coal-Mac Mining, Inc. 2,291,699Appalachian Fuels, LLC 2,101,723Alex Energy, Inc. 1,211,199Roadfork Development Co., Inc. 1,139,999Chafin Branch Coal Co. 778,366Bandmill Coal Corp. 718,585Aracoma Coal Co., Inc. 619,517Highland Mining Co. 606,841


30 WVCA

Marion County

Founded – 1842

Named For – American Revolution Officer FrancisMarion

County Seat – Fairmont



Incorporated Communities – Fairmont, Mannington,Barracksville, Monongah, Rivesville, Grant Town,White Hall, Fairview, Farmington, Worthington

Principal Waterways – Monongahela River, TygartRiver, West Fork River

Mines 17Employees 590Estimated Direct Wages $36,993,000Severance Tax Receipts $1,562,943Production 6,440,089 8th

Underground 6,383,219 5th Surface 56,870 17th


Major Seams Kittanning, Pittsburgh, Redstone

Primary ProducerConsolidation Coal Co. 6,383,219

Marshall County

Founded – 1835

Named For – U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall

County Seat – Moundsville

Area/State Rank – 312 square miles – 43rd


Incorporated Communities – Moundsville, Pleasant Valley, McMechen, Benwood, Glen Dale, Cameron

Principal Waterway – Ohio River

Mines 1Employees 1,039Estimated Direct Wages $65,145,300Severance Tax Receipts $1,858,568Production 11,442,139 4th

Underground 11,442,139 2nd Surface 0


Major Seam Pittsburgh

Primary ProducersMcElroy Coal Co. 10,477,398Consolidation Coal Co. 964,741


Coal Facts 2007 31

McDowell County

Founded – 1858

Named For – Virginia Governor James McDowell

County Seat – Welch



Incorporated Communities – Welch, Gary, War,Northfork, Keystone, Kimball, Davy, Iaeger, Bradshaw,Anawalt

Principal Waterway – Tug Fork River

Mines 67Employees 1,106Estimated Direct Wages $69,346,200Severance Tax Receipts $688,264Production 5,834,803 11th



Major SeamsBeckley,Ben’s Creek, Bradshaw, Eagle, Fire Creek,Gilbert, Pocahontas, Powellton, Red Ash

Primary ProducersBrooks Run Mining Co., LLC 1,256,760XMV, Inc. 611,068Bluestone Coal Corp. 513,969R & S Coal Co., Inc. 197,194Mt. View Resources, Inc. 167,294Postar Coal Co., Inc. 124,457Rock “N” Roll Coal Co. 104,248

Mercer County

Founded – 1837

Named For – American Revolution General HughMercer

County Seat – Princeton



Incorporated Communities – Bluefield, Princeton,Athens, Bramwell, Matoaka, Oakvale

Principal Waterway – Bluestone River

Mines 2Employees 12Estimated Direct Wages $752,400Severance Tax Receipts $220,491Production 230,831 26th

Underground 218,181 24th Surface 12,650 20th


Major Seam Pocahontas No. 2

Primary ProducerCoal Valley, LLC 218,181


32 WVCA

Mineral County

Founded – 1866

Named For – local natural resources

County Seat – Keyser



Incorporated Communities – Keyser, Piedmont,Carpendale, Ridgely, Elk Garden

Principal Waterways – North Branch Potomac River

Mines 4Employees 14Estimated Direct Wages $877,800Severance Tax Receipts $101,328Production 48,300 28th

Underground 0Surface 48,300 18th


Major SeamsBakerstown, Elk Lick, Harlem, Kittanning, Mahoning

Primary ProducerD&L Coal Co. 48,300

Mingo County

Founded – 1895

Named For – former Indian tribe

County Seat – Williamson


Population (2000)/State Rank – 28,253 – 21st Incorporated Communities – Williamson, Matewan,Delbarton, Gilbert, Kermit

Principal Waterways – Tug Fork River




Major Seams Alma, Cedar Grove, Coalburg, Eagle, Freeport, No. 2Gas, Williamson, Winifrede

Primary ProducersMingo Logan Coal Co. 2,550,580White Flame Energy, Inc. 1,554,200Laurel Creek Co., Inc. 1,544,856Premium Energy, Inc. 1,485,401Coal-Mac, Inc. 819,896Frasure Creek Mining, LLC 777,935Miller Brothers Coal, Inc. 653,793Rockhouse Creek Development Corp. 611,662Alpha & Omega Coal Co. LLC 532,405Jacob Mining Co. LLC 381,773Spartan Mining Co. 343,540


Coal Facts 2007 33

Monongalia County

Founded – 1776

Named For – derivative of the Monongahela River, Delaware Indian word for “river of falling banks”

County Seat – Morgantown

Area/State Rank – 366 square miles – 33rd


Incorporated Communities – Morgantown, Westover,Star City, Granville, Blacksville

Principal Waterways – Monongahela River, CheatRiver

Mines 15Employees 1,173Estimated Direct Wages $73,547,100Severance Tax Receipts $983,910Production 11,295,309 5th

Underground 10,547,509 3rd Surface 747,800 13th


Major Seams Bakerstown, Kittanning, Redstone, Sewickley

Primary ProducersConsolidation Coal Co. 4,866,072Eastern Associated Coal Corp. 4,621,995Dana Mining Co., Inc. 733,411Patriot Mining Co., Inc. 578,430Red Bone Mining Co., Inc. 326,031

Nicholas County

Founded – 1843

Named For – Virginia Governor Cary Nicholas

County Seat – Summersville



Incorporated Communities – Summersville, Richwood

Principal Waterways – Gauley River, Meadow River,Cranberry River, Cherry River, Birch River




Major Seams Campbell Creek, Dorothy, Eagle, Gilbert, Kittanning,McQueen, Peerless, Powellton, Sewell

Primary ProducersAlex Energy, Inc. 2,668,944White Buck Coal Co. 974,151Atlantic Leaseco 355,938Little Eagle Coal Co., LLC 280,152


34 WVCA

Preston County

Founded – 1818

Named For – Virginia Governor James Perry Preston

County Seat – Kingwood



Incorporated Communities – Kingwood, Terra Alta,Masontown, Rowelsburg, Reedsville, Newburg,Tunnelton, Albright, Brandonville, Bruceton Mills

Principal Waterway – Cheat River


Underground 1,509,216 14th Surface 20,144 22nd


Major Seams Bakerstown, Elk, Freeport, Kittanning, Mahoning,Pittsburgh

Primary ProducerKingwood Mining Co., LLC 1,377,168

Raleigh County

Founded – 1850

Named For – Englishman Sir Walter Raleigh

County Seat – Beckley



Incorporated Communities – Beckley, Mabscott, Sophia, Lester, Rhodell

Principal Waterways – Coal River, Clear Fork River,Marsh Fork River




Major Seams Beckley, Eagle, Fire Creek, Hernshaw, No. 2 Gas,Pocahontas, Powellton, Sewell, Stockton-Lewiston

Primary ProducersMarfork Coal Co., Inc. 2,574,557Elk Run Coal Co., Inc. 1,047,979Simmons Fork Mining, Inc. 925,614Performance Coal Co. 658,943Peachtree Ridge Mining Co., Inc. 344,140Baylor Mining, Inc. 336,796Independence Coal Co., Inc. 313,953Spartan Mining Co. 303,298


Coal Facts 2007 35

Randolph County

Founded – 1786

Named For – Virginia Governor Edmund JenningsRandolph

County Seat – Elkins

Area/State Rank – 1,040 square miles – 1st


Incorporated Communities – Elkins, Mill Creek,Beverly, Coalton, Huttonsville, Montrose, Harman

Principal Waterways – Tygart River, Elk River


Underground 1,222,807 18thSurface 0


Major Seams Bakerstown, Lower Kittanning, Pittsburgh

Primary ProducerCarter Roag Coal Co. 1,222,807

Tucker County

Founded – 1856

Named For – Virginia Judge Henry St. George Tucker

County Seat – Parsons



Incorporated Communities – Parsons, Davis, Thomas,Hendricks, Hambleton

Principal Waterways – Cheat River, Blackwater River

Mines 6Employees 114Estimated Direct Wages $7,147,800Severance Tax Receipts $76,349Production 560,916 23rd

Underground 560,916 22nd Surface 0


Major Seam Upper Freeport

Primary ProducerMettiki Coal, LLC 560,916


36 WVCA

Upshur County

Founded – 1851

Named For – U.S. Cabinet Secretary Abel ParkerUpshur

County Seat – Buckhannon



Incorporated Communities – Buckhannon

Principal Waterways – Little Kanawha River,Buckhannon River, Middle Fork River


Underground 1,346,841 15th Surface 8,325 21st


Major Seams Alma, Elk Lick, Kittanning, Peerless, Pittsburgh,Redstone

Primary ProducersWolf Run Mining Co. 1,231,642Roblee Coal Co. 339,642

Wayne County

Founded – 1842

Named For – American Revolution General “Mad”Anthony Wayne

County Seat – Wayne



Incorporated Communities – Kenova, Ceredo, Wayne,Fort Gay

Principal Waterways – Ohio River, Big Sandy River



Recoverable Reserves 789,456,163

Major Seam Coalburg

Primary ProducersRockspring Development, Inc. 2,735,790Argus Energy WV LLC 2,099,798


Coal Facts 2007 37

Webster County

Founded – 1860

Named For – U.S. Senator Daniel Webster

County Seat – Webster Springs – 12th

Area/State Rank – 556 square miles


Incorporated Communities – Webster Springs, Cowen, Camden-On-Gauley

Principal Waterways – Gauley River, Elk River,Williams River




Major Seams Eagle, Kittanning, Peerless, Pocahontas, Sewell,Stockton-Lewiston

Primary ProducersICG Eastern, LLC 3,048,801Brooks Run Mining Co. 1,467,096

Wyoming County

Founded – 1850

Named For – Delaware Indian word meaning “wideplain”

County Seat – Pineville



Incorporated Communities – Mullens, Oceana,Pineville





Major SeamsAlma, Beckley, Ben’s Creek, Cedar Grove, Douglas,Eagle, Gilbert, Kittanning, Matewan, Pocahontas, No. 2 Gas, Red Ash, Sewell, Stockton-Lewiston

Primary ProducersPinnacle Mining Co., LLC 2,014,206Dynamic Energy, Inc. 1,147,294Simmons Fork Mining, Inc. 646,964Brooks Run Mining Co. 516,889Double Bonus Coal Co. 366,148Baylor Mining, Inc. 141,746 Chief Mining, Inc. 106,128


38 WVCA

American coal was used at least 1,000 years agoby Hopi Indians in present day Arizona to bake clay pot-tery. Europeans discovered the mineral in the IllinoisRiver basin in the 1670's. The first coal miningoccurred before the American Revolution, along thePotomac River near the modern border of West Virginiaand Maryland.

Technically, coal is not a mineral. Like petroleumand natural gas, coal is a fossil fuel, formed from onceliving organic materials. Coal was formed from theremains of trees, ferns and other plant life that thrivedin the age of dinosaurs, from 400 million to a billionyears ago. Each foot of a coal seam represents theaccumulation of about 10,000 years of plantremains.Over time, geological processes compressedand altered the plant remains, gradually increasing thecarbon content and transforming the material into coal

Due to varying levels of geologic pressure, coaldeposits are of four types: lignite, subbituminous, bitu-minous and anthracite. Each succeeding type is high-er in heating value, as measured by British ThermalUnits, or BTU's. Lignite is found primarily in the south-west and subbituminous in the upper west. Anthraciteis limited primarily to certain areas of Pennsylvania.

Considering quality and quantity, bituminous coal isthe nation's most valuable coal resource. Bituminouscoal is found primarily in the Appalachian states and inthe midwest. West Virginia is the most intensive coalstate in the U.S.

Western coals were formed 50 to 70 million yearsago. Eastern and midwestern coals were formed 200to 250 million years ago. America is in no danger ofrunning out of coal. Recoverable U.S. reserves totalover 290 billion tons, nearly three centuries worth atcurrent production levels.

The Origin Of Coal

• The average haulage truck holds about 25 tons ofcoal. A rail car holds about 100 tons, or the equivilentof 4 trucks. A river coal barge holds about 1500 tons,the equivilent of 15 rail cars or 60 trucks.

• It takes one pound of coal to produce 1.25 kilowatthours of electricity, enough to light one 100 watt light-bulb for 10 hours.

• A typical computer spread with internet accessrequires about 1,000 watts of power.

• A lump of coal is burned every time a book is orderedon-line.

• It takes about a pound of coal to create, package,store and move 2 megabytes of data.

• The average internet user (12 hours per week) usesover 300 pounds of coal annually for this purpose.

• The total demand for electricity from personal com-puters on the internet amounts to 8% of the U.S. elec-trical supply.

• When one billion people are accessing the internet, asis projected, the required electricity will be equal to totalcurrent capacity of U.S. electric power production.

• One ton of coal equals 3.8 barrels of oil, 189 gallonsof gasoline, one cord of firewood, 21,000 cubic feet ofnatural gas, and 6,500 kilowatts of electricity.

Fast Facts

Average BTU Values For Major Fuels

Fuel Source Unit BTS’sBituminous coal one ton 24,050,000Fuel Oil one barrel 6,287,000Kerosene one barrel 5,670,000Gasoline one barrel 5,248,000

Coal is the primary form of energy used in theUnited States each day, accounting for one-third of thenation's total energy production.

It is the source of 50% of the electricity generatednation wide. It is by far the most abundant Americanenergy source, accounting for 90% of America's fossilenergy reserves.

In the Industrial Revolution, coal was the fuel thatpowered the transformation of the United States froman agricultural society into the greatest economicpower in the world.

Today, it is the direct and indirect source of hun-dreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in eco-nomic impact. Abundant and affordable, coal-firedelectricity is the life force of the American economy. Itis America's best friend.


Coal Facts 2007 39

Coal in West Virginia by Dr. Stuart McGehee

In those days, coal mining was highly laborintensive, but only a few rugged mountaineerslived in the remote, isolated hills and hollowswhere the operations developed. Thus, operatorsrecruited much of their labor from two humanmigrations underway around 1900. Thousands ofAfrican-Americans fleeing discrimination andsegregation left the Deep South, and manyexchanged the poverty of the cotton fields for thebustling coalfields.

Meanwhile, European immigrants fleeingreligious persecution and impending war came toAmerica to find jobs and homes, and many camefrom coal-bearing regions of Europe to the pros-perous mines in West Virginia.

Over the next half century, tonnage andemployment increased dramatically. By 1950,some 125,000 West Virginia coal miners livedand worked in more than 500 company towns builtto house them and their families. Whole new citiessprang up where silent mountains had rested forcenturies.

Although coal mining was dark, dirty, andinherently dangerous, many miners enjoyed theirday’s work. They enjoyed being skilled craftsmenwho produced a product they could take pride in.People liked the close friendly life in the companytowns, where ties of family, neighbors, church,school, and home bred a close-knit community.Old-timers fondly recall company baseball teams,neighborhood gatherings, church suppers, andother characteristic features of coalfield life.Today many decry conditions in the “coal camps,”but miners and their families fared as well asmost working class Americans, and better thanthose unfortunate souls who labored in urbansweatshops or as rural sharecroppers.

West Virginia’s coalfields were home to someof the most significant labor strife in this nation’shistory, as the United Mine Workers battled coaloperators for control of the industry. Spectacularincidents such as the famed Matewan Massacre andthe Battle of Blair Mountain, landmarks inAmerican labor history, showed the strategicimportance of the state’s crucial industry, and itsnational significance.

After World War II, coal mining becameincreasingly dependent upon mechanization andsophisticated machinery. Continuous miningmachines, conveyor belts and other advancesincreased tonnage dramatically. Surface miningoperations and longwall machines producedastounding outputs in an efficient and safe manner.

Coal has a rich heritage in West Virginia andhas contributed significantly to the progress andwell-being of West Virginians since it was firstdiscovered in what is now Boone County in 1742by Peter Salley, more than a century before WestVirginia became a state.

The coal industry has played a major leader-ship role in the state’s economic, political andsocial history. The industry has also been a cen-ter of controversy and the brunt of unfoundedcriticism, giving rise to battles in the arenas oflabor, environment and safety.

Over the years, West Virginia has furnishedour nation and the world with the finest bitumi-nous coal found anywhere. And today, WestVirginia’s coal miners apply efficient and effec-tive mineral extraction technology that makesthem the envy of their counterparts around theglobe.

West Virginia exports more coal than anyother American state, has more longwall miningsystems than any other state, leads the nation inunderground coal production and sets the pace forthe rest of the industry in reclamation and envi-ronmental protection. At the same time, the WestVirginia coal industry exhibits a sense of respon-sibility - social, health, safety and environmental- that is unmatched anywhere in the world.

It was coal that transformed West Virginiafrom a frontier state to an industrial state. Coalin 62 recoverable seams can be found in 43 of thestate’s 55 counties. Knowledge of the coalreserves in western Virginia predated theAmerican Revolution.

Thomas Jefferson reported in his Notes on theState of Virginia that coal underlay most of thetrans-Allegheny Ohio Valley. Jefferson’s neigh-bor, John Peter Salley, traced huge deposits ofbituminous coal along the Coal and Kanawha Riversin the mid-eighteenth century, but there was lit-tle demand for the mineral outside of local use iniron forges and blacksmith shops.

The first widespread use of West Virginia coalbegan when the saltworks along the Kanawha Riverexpanded dramatically in the decades before theCivil War. Coal was used to heat the brine pumpedfrom salt beds underneath the river. That modestuse soon was dwarfed by the demands of a growingnation that looked to coal to heat its homes, powerits factories and fuel its locomotives andsteamships.

When the anthracite fields of Pennsylvania nolonger could provide the tonnage needed, American


40 WVCA

Air split - The division of a current of air into two ormore parts.

Anemometer - Instrument for measuring air velocity.Angle of dip - The angle at which strata or mineral

deposits are inclined to the horizontal place.Anthracite - The hardest classification of coal,

almost pure carbon, used mainly for heating homes.Anthracite is mined primarily in Pennsylvania.

Auger mining - Mining which employs a large auger,which functions much like a carpenter’s wood drill. Theauger bores into a coal seam and discharges coal outof the spiral onto waiting conveyor belts. After augeringis completed, the openings are regraded. This methodof mining is usually employed to recover any additionalmineral left in areas that cannot be reached economi-cally by other types of surface mining.

Appropriate original contour - The surface config-uration achieved by backfilling and grading of themined area so that the reclaimed area, including anyterracing or access roads, closely resembles the gen-eral surface or configuration of the land prior to miningand blends into and compliments the drainage patternof the surrounding terrain, with all highwalls and spoilpiles eliminated.

Aquifer - A water-bearing bed or porous rock, oftensandstone.

Backfill - Operation of refilling an area where over-burden has been removed, including the grading of therefilled excavation. Also, the material placed in an exca-vation in the process of backfilling.

Barricading - Enclosing part of a mine to preventinflow of noxious gases from a mine fire or an explo-sion.

Bed - A stratum of coal or other sedimentary deposit.Belt conveyor - A looped belt on which coal or other

materials can be carried, generally constructed offlame-resistant material or reinforced rubber.

Bench - One or more divisions of a coal seam sepa-rated by slate or formed by the process of extractingcoal.

Binder - A streak of impurity in a coal seam.Bituminous - A medium soft classification of coal,

the most common and useful type mined in the U.S. Itis used primarily for electric generation and for cokemaking for the steel industry.

Bottom - Floor or underlying surface of an under-ground excavation.

Brow - A low place in the mine roof, causing insuffi-cient headroom.

BTU - British Thermal Unit. A measure of the energyrequired to raise the temperature of one pound of waterone degree Fahrenheit. On average, coal contains 25million BTU’s per ton.

Bump - An abrupt dislocation of the mineworkings,usually due to severe stress in the surround-ing rock.

Byproducts - Useful substances made from thegasses and liquids left over when coal is converted tocoke.

Cannel coal - A non-caking block coal with a fine,even grain, burns with a long, yellow flame and is veryeasy to ignite.Canopy - A protective covering of a cabon a mining machine.

Captive mine - A mine in which the production isused wholly or primarily by the mine owner or sub-sidiary.

Cast - A blast in which rock and dirt is directed to aspecific spot.

Chain pillar - The pillar of coal left to protect thegangway or entry and the parallel airways.

Cleat - The vertical cleavage of coal seams. Themain set of joints along which coal breaks when mined.

Coal gasification - The conversion of coal into agaseous fuel.

Coal seam - A bed or stratum of coal. The term isusually applied to a large deposit of coal.

Coal washing - The process of separating coal ofvarious sizes, densities and shapes by allowing them tosettle in a fluid. The washing process plays an impor-tant role in improving coal quality by removing rock,other impurities and some organic sulfur. Washingtakes place at preparation plants, usually located at themine or shipping site.

Coke - A hard, dry carbon substance produced byheating coal to a very high temperature in the absenceof air. Coke is used in the manufacture of iron and steel.

Colliery - British term for a coal mine.Continuous mining - The most common method of

underground coal mining currently in use in the U.S.This process utilizes a continuous mining machine thattotally mechanizes the coal extraction process by cut-ting or removing the coal from the seam using a largesteel drum with many huge teeth and loading the cutcoal into a shuttle car or a continuous haulage systemfor removal from the mine.

Contour - An imaginary line that connects all pointson a surface having the same elevation.

Conventional mining - This type of mining involvesthe insertion of explosives into the coal seam, blastingthe seam and removal of the coal onto a conveyor orshuttle car by loading machine. Once the most com-mon form of deep mining, conventional mining nowaccounts for only a small proportion of coal production.

Core Sample - A cylinder sample generally 1-5 inch-es in diameter, drilled out of ore to determine the geo-logical and chemical analysis of the overburden of coal.

Glossary of Coal Industry Terms


Coal Facts 2007 41

Cover - The overburden of any deposit.Cribbing - The construction of crips or timbers laid at

right angles to each other, sometimes filled with earthas a roof support or as a support for machinery.

Crosscut - A passageway driven between the entryand its parallel air course or air courses for ventilationpurposes. Also, a tunnel driven from one seam toanother through or across the intervening measures;sometimes called “crosscut tunnel”, or “breakthrough”.In vein mining, an entry perpendicular to the vein.

Cross entry - An entry running at an angle with themain entry.

Deep mine - An underground mine.Demonstrated reserve base - Coal deposits which

are economically feasible to mine with existing technol-ogy.

Dip - The inclination of a geologic structure (bed,vein, fault, etc.) from the horizontal; dip is always meas-ured downward at right angles to the strike.

Dragline - A large earthmoving machine which usesa giant bucket suspended from cables to remove theoverburden from a coal seam in surface mining.

Drift mine - A coal mine entered directly through ahorizontal opening drilled into the side of a hill or moun-tain. This method of mining is used in hilly or mountain-ous areas.

Face - The exposed area of a coalbed from whichcoal is extracted.

Fluidized bed combustion - A process that removessulfur from coal during combustion. Crushed coal andlimestone are burned together in a boiler. Sulfur gasesfrom the coal combine with the limestone to form a solidcompound that is recovered with the ash.

Fossil fuel - Any naturally occurring fuel of an organ-ic nature, such as coal, crude oil and natural gas.

Fly ash - The finely divided particles of ash resultingfrom the combustion of fuel.

Frequency Rate/Incident Rate - Frequency withwhich accidents and fatalities occur. Calculated on thebasis of 200,000 hours of exposure during work.

Haul road - Shot rock or asphalt road constructed orutilized to transport coal by truck from the mine to thetipple, or to rail or barge facilities.

Haulageway - Any underground entry or passage-way that is designed for transport of mined material,personnel, or equipment, usually by the installation oftrack or belt conveyor.

Highwall - Unexcavated face of exposed overburdenand coal in a surface mine. Highwalls must be recon-toured following the extraction of coal.

Highwall miner - A highwall mining system consistsof a remotely controlled continuous miner whichextracts coal and conveys it via augers, belt or chainconveyors to the outside. The cut is typically a rectan-gular, horizontal cut from a highwall bench, reachingdepths of several hundred feet or deeper.

Hopper Cars - Open freight cars with a floor slopingto one or more hinged doors for discharging bulk mate-rials including coal.

Inby - In the direction of the working face. In situ - In the natural or original position. Applied to

a rock, soil, or fossil when occurring in the situation inwhich it was originally formed or deposited.

Intake - The passage through which fresh air isdrawn or forced into a mine or to a section of a mine.

Lignite - The softest classification of coal, with thehighest moisture content. It is mined primarily in thewestern U.S. and used for some electric generationand for conversion to synthetic gas.

Liquefaction - The process of converting coal into asynthetic fuel, similar in nature to crude oil and/orrefined products, such as gasoline.

Longwall mining - Longwall mining employs a steelplow or rotating drum, which is pulled mechanicallyback-and-forth across a face of coal that is usually sev-eral hundred feet long. The loosened coal falls onto aconveyor for removal from the mine. Longwall opera-tions include a hydraulic roof support system thatadvances as mining proceeds allowing the roof to fall ina controlled manner. Longwall operations are thefastest growing underground mining technique, highlyproductive, and generally improve mine safety. WestVirginia is the leading longwall mining producer in theUnited States.

Man Car/Man Trip - The vehicle that transports min-ers to working sections of a deep mine.

Metallurgical coal - The types of coal carbonized tomake coke for steel manufacture, typically high in BTUvalue and low in ash content.

Methane - A potentially explosive gas formed natural-ly from the decay of vegetative matter, similar to thatwhich formed coal. Methane, the principal componentof natural gas, is frequently encountered in under-ground coal mining operations, and is kept within safelimits through the use of extensive mine ventilation sys-tems. Coalbed methane has now been recognized asan important energy resource. Increased efforts areunderway to expand its extraction from coal seams.

Mine mouth power plant - A steam-electric powerplant built close to a mine. Because of this proximity,the coal is often delivered to the plant by tramway orcovered conveyor. The plant delivers its electricity out-put to distant points through large transmission lines.



42 WVCA

Mountain top mining - Surface mining techniquewhich removes overburden at the top of the mountainin order to recover 100% of the mineral.

Outby - Nearer to the shaft, and hence farther fromthe working face. Toward the mine entrance. The oppo-site of inby.

Outcrop - Coal which appears near or at the surface.Overburden - Layers of native rock and soil covering

a coal seam. Overburden is removed prior to surfacemining and replaced after the coal is taken from theseam. The excess of this material is often placed in val-ley fills.

Panel - A coal mining block that generally comprisesone operating unit.

Pillar - An area of coal left to support the overlyingstrata in a mine; sometimes left permanently to supportsurface structures.

Pneumoconiosis - A chronic disease of the lungarising from breathing coal dust, commonly known as“black lung.”

Portal - The structure surrounding the immediateentrance to a mine; the mouth of a tunnel.

Preparation Plant - Usually located on a mine site,although one plant may serve several mines. A prepa-ration plant is a facility for crushing, sizing and washingcoal to prepare it for use by a particular customer. Thewashing process has the added benefit of removingsome of the coal’s sulfur content.

Productivity - The amount of coal produced by oneworker in a one workday. Productivity is calculated bydividing the total number of worker/days into total coalproduction. The productivity of underground and sur-face mining operations is calculated in the same man-ner, using the specific man day and production totals.

Reclamation - The restoration of land and environ-ment after the coal is extracted. Reclamation opera-tions are usually underway where the coal has alreadybeen taken from a mine, even as mining operations aretaking place elsewhere on the site. The process com-monly includes recontouring or reshaping the land to itsapproximate original appearance, restoring topsoil andplanting native grasses and ground covers.Reclamation is closely regulated by both state and fed-eral law, and the coal industry’s outstanding effort inthis area has resulted in millions of acres of restoredproductive land throughout the country.

Recoverable Reserves - The amount of coal thatcan be recovered from the Demonstrated ReserveBase. There are about 285 billion tons of recoverablereserves in the U.S., enough to last nearly 250 years atcurrent consumption levels.

Recovery - The proportion or percentage of coal orore mined from the original seam or deposit.

Glossary of Coal Industry TermsRed dog - a nonvolatile combustion product of the

oxidation of coal or coal refuse. Most commonly appliedto material resulting from in situ, uncontrolled burning ofcoal or coal refuse piles. It is similar to coal ash.

Reserve - That portion of the identified coal resourcethat can be economically mined at the time of determi-nation. The reserve is derived by applying a recoveryfactor to that component of the identified coal resourcedesignated as the reserve base.

Respirable dust - Dust particles 5 microns or less insize.

Return - The air or ventilation that has passedthrough all the working faces of a split.

Rib - The side of a pillar or the wall of an entry. Thesolid coal on the side of any underground passage.Same as rib pillar.

Rider - A thin seam of coal overlying a thicker one.Rock Dusting - The process of coating the tunnels in

deep mines with powdered limestone, for the purposeof diluting potentially unhealthy or dangerous concen-trations of coal dust and to help minimize explosionhazards.

Roof Bolting - A method of supporting the ceilings ofunderground mines by inserting long steel bolts intoholes bored into the strata forming the roof.

Room and pillar mining - A method of deep miningin which approximately half of the coal is left in place tosupport the roof of the active mining area. Large “pil-lars” are left while “rooms” of coal are extracted.

Run-of Mine Coal - Coal as it comes directly fromthe mine, not treated by a a preparation plant.

Safety lamp - A lamp with steel wire gauze coveringevery opening from the inside to the outside so as toprevent the passage of flame should explosive gas beencountered.

Sandstone - A sedimentary rock consisting of quartzsand united by some cementing material, such as ironoxide or calcium carbonate.

Scoop - A rubber tired-, battery- or diesel-poweredpiece of equipment designed for cleaning runways andhauling supplies.

Scrubber - Any of several forms of chemical/physicaldevices that remove sulfur compounds formed duringcoal combustion. These devices, technically known asflue gas desulfurization systems, combine the sulfur ingaseous emissions with another chemical medium toform inert “sludge which must then be removed for dis-posal.

Seam - A stratum or bed of coal.Secondary roof - The roof strata immediately above

the coalbed, requiring support during the excavating ofcoal.

Section - A portion of the working area of a mine.


Split - Any division or branch of the ventilating cur-rent.

Steam Coal - Coal used primarily for electricity pro-duction, generally lower BTU value than metallurgicalcoal.

Stripping ratio - The unit amount of overburden thatmust be removed to gain access to a similar unitamount of coal or mineral material.

Subbituminous - Classified between bituminousand lignite, with low fixed carbon and high volatility andmoisture.

Subsidence - The gradual sinking, or sometimesabrupt collapse, of the rock and soil layers into anunderground mine. Structures and surface featuresabove the subsidence area can be affected.

Support - The vital function of keeping the mineworkings open. As a verb, it refers to this function; as anoun it refers to all the equipment and materials- tim-ber, roof bolts, concrete, steel, etc.- that are used tocarry out this function.

Surface Mine - A mine in which the coal lies near thesurface and can be extracted by removing the coveringlayer of native rock and soil.

Short Ton - Standard American measurement, equalto 2,000 pounds. Conversely, a long or British ton is2,240 pounds, and a metric ton is approximately 2,205pounds.

Suspension - Weaker strata hanging from stronger,overlying strata by means of roof bolts.

Timber - A collective term for underground woodensupports.

Tipple - Originally the place where the mine carswere tipped and emptied of t heir coal, and still used inthat same sense, now refers to the surface structuresof a mine, including the preparation plant and loadingtracks.

Top - A mine roof.Trip - A train of mine cars.Underground Mine - Also known as a deep mine.

Usually located several hundred feet below the earth’ssurface. Most underground mines are located east ofthe Mississippi River.

Unit Train - A long train of between 60 and 150 hop-per cars, carrying coal between a mine and a destina-tion. A typical unit train can carry at least 10,000 tons ofcoal in a single shipment.

Waste - Any rock or mineral which must be removedfrom a mine to keep the mining scheme practical, butwhich has no value.

Working face - Any place in a mine where mineral isextracted.

Working section - The area from the faces to thepoint where coal is loaded onto belts or rail cars.

Self-contained breathing apparatus - A self-con-tained supply of oxygen used during rescue work fromcoal mine fires and explosions; same as SCSR (self-contained self rescuer).

Self-rescuer - A small fighting device carried by acoal miner underground, either on his belt or in hispocket, to provide him with immediate protectionagainst carbon monoxide and smoke in case of a minefire or explosion. It is a small canister with a mouth-piece directly attached to it. The wearer breathesthrough the mouth, the nose being closed by a clip. Thecanister contains a layer of fused calcium chloride thatabsorbs water vapor from the mine air. The device isused for escape purposes only, because it does notsustain life in atmospheres containing deficient oxygen.The length of time a self-rescuer can be used, usuallybetween 30 minutes and one hour, is governed mainlyby the humidity in the mine air.

Shaft - A primary vertical or non-vertical openingthrough mine strata used for ventilation or drainageand/or for hoisting of personnel or materials; connectsthe surface with underground workings.

Shaft mine - An underground mine in which the mainentry or access is by means of a vertical shaft.

Shale - A rock formed by consolidation of clay, mud,or silt, having a laminated structure and composed ofminerals essentially unaltered since deposition.

Shearer - A mining machine for longwall faces thatuses a rotating action to “shear” the material from theface as it progresses along the face.

Shift - The number of hours or a specified part of theworkday.

Shortwall - An underground mining method in whichsmall areas (15 to 150 feet) are worked by a continu-ous miner in conjunction with hydraulic roof supports.

Shuttle Car - A self-discharging truck, generally withrubber tires or caterpillar-type treads, used for receivingcoal from teh loading or mining machine and transfer-ring it to an underground loading point, mine railway orbelt conveyor system.

Slack - Small coal; the finest-sized soft coal, usuallyless than one inch in diameter.

Slate - A miner’s term for any shale or slate accom-panying coal. Geologically, it is a dense, fine-texturedmetamorphic rock, with excellent parallel cleavage sothat it breaks into thin plates or pencil like shapes.

Slip - A fault. A smooth joint or crack where the stra-ta have moved on each other.

Slope Mine - A mine with an opening that slopesupward or downward to the seam, with adjoining verti-cal shafts for air ventilation and emergency use.

Sounding - Knocking on a roof to see wheather it issound and safe to work under.


Coal Facts 2007 43


44 WVCA

Alliance Coal, LLC Lexington, KYAlpha Natural Resources, LLC Abingdon, VAAppalachian Fuels, LLC Ashland KYArch Coal, Inc. St. Louis, MO Argus Energy, WV, LLC Dunlow, WV Atlantic Development & Capital, LLC Summersville, WVBell Mining Company Bridgeport, WV Bluestone Coal Corp. Beckley, WV CAM Mining LLC Pikeville, KYCarson One Mining Charleston, WVCoal River Energy, LLC Alum Creek, WVCONSOL Energy Inc. Pittsburgh, PAEaglehawk Carbon, Inc. Grundy, VAEagle Ridge Development Group, LLC Summersville, WVEastern Associated Coal Corp. St. Louis, MO Fola Coal Company, L.L.C. Bickmore, WV Ford Coal Company Hansford, WV Hampden Coal Company, Inc. Gilbert, WV Hollow Mountain Resourcse, Inc. Wise VAICG Eastern, LLC Scott Depot, WVImperial Colliery Lynchburg, VAInternational Resources Gilbert, WV Kanawha Eagle Coal LLC Grundy, VAKanawha River Terminals Ceredo, WVK & P Mining, Inc. Canvas, WVKeystone Development Charleston, WVLand Use Corporation Summersville, WV Laurel Creek Company, Inc. Dingess, WVLexington Coal Co., LLC Lexington, KYMadison Coal, LLC Ashland, KYMagnum Coal Charleston, WVMelbis Development Beaver, WVMepco, Inc. Morgantown, WVMid-Atlantic Minerals, Inc. Danville, WVMountain Haus Properties, Inc. Charleston, WVOxford Mining Co. Coshocton, OHParkstone Energy, LLC Marmet, WVPatience, Inc. Beckley WV PinnOak Resources Cannonsburg, PAPritchard Mining Company, Inc. Charleston, WVRaven Crest Mining, LLC Prestonsburg, KYRiverton Coal Production, Inc. Charleston, WV Roblee Coal Company Buckhannon, WV Stanley Industries, Inc. Bridgeport, WV Starvaggi Industries, Inc. Weirton, WV Trinity Coal Scott Depot, WV True Energy Coal Sales, Inc. Princeton, WVUnited Coal Co. LLC Scott Depot, WVUnited Coals, Inc. Clarksburg, WV Upper Kanawha Valley Development Corp. Charleston, WV

General Membership

The West Virginia Coal Association wasformed in 1915 to represent the state’scoal mining industry. In 2001 WVCAmerged with the West Virginia Mining &Reclamation Association to enable theindustry to speak with one voice.

The Association’s primary responsibilityis to promote the general welfare of theindustry and to serve as the communica-tions link with the public and with all levelsof government.

WVCA’s membership produces about80% of West Virginia’s annual coal output.The Association is bolstered by a verystrong and competitive associate mem-bership, comprised of more than 200companies that do business with the coalindustry. WVCA is located in NorthgateBusiness Park in Charleston.

WVCA is governed by a Board ofDirectors and its officers. The currentChairman of the Board is Andrew Jordonof Pritchard Mining Co., Inc., Charleston,West Virginia.

The

West VirginiaCoalAssociation


coal facts 2007

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