Coal Age

FEB 2013

Coal Age Magazine - For nearly 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.

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e d i t o r ���s n o t e Longwall Investments Pay Dividends s it does every February, Coal Age publishes the U.S. Longwall Census, which provides an in-depth look at the mechanized mining units operating at 40 of the country���s most productive underground coal mines. What differentiates this year from year���s past, is that for the first time all of the mines are still operating. Normally several drop off and a few are added. The industry has watched as the number of longwalls steadily dropped from around 150 in the BY STEVE FISCOR mid-1980s. This year, the U.S. Longwall Census includes something / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF new; the production data for each of the mines has been included and sorted from the highest value to the lowest. For the first time, readers can make direct comparisons between mines. That bit of research led to another discovery: In 2012, U.S. longwall production increased by 6.4% to 183 million tons from 172 million tons in 2011. In a year that saw overall U.S. production decline by 6.9%, longwall production grew by an almost equal amount. While the Energy Information Administration hasn���t tabulated total U.S. coal production yet, it should amount to about 1,018 million tons. If that were the case, U.S. longwall production would represent about 18% of total U.S. production. If that total figure declines again as expected this year, and total longwall production remains the same or grows, that slice of the pie will also grow. Now that decision to invest $200 million of capital in a longwall mining system is looking like a wise move. If the decision was based purely on total production and productivity, it would be a safe one, but there is an added benefit. It���s also the safest method to mine coal underground, as far as injuries per ton mined. Six miners on a longwall face are producing on average 4 million tons per year. Sure there is a supporting cast working on development and maintaining equipment, but the amount of miners exposed to danger is greatly diminished as long as everyone does their part and works safely. Technology has also evolved rapidly with longwall mining. Readers will also notice toward the back of the magazine articles talking about new simulators coal operators can use to train miners as well as new proximity detections systems that protect them on the longwall face. The graphics these simulators now incorporate are remarkable and the whole unit can be shipped to the mine in a container. Meanwhile, the RFID tag in the miner���s cordless cap lamp tells the monitoring system where all of the miners are on the face. Coal Age has watched and reported as the longwall mines evolved. To support the mining engineers and mine managers involved in this discipline, Coal Age created the Longwall USA International Conference & Exhibition, which takes place every two years on the odd years. If you would like to learn about the latest in longwall mining, I invite you to join us for the three-day event, which will be held June 11-13, 2013, in downtown Pittsburgh (www.longwallusa.com). Other parts of the coal industry might be suffering, but America���s longwall operators are on a roll. Come join us and see why. Enjoy this edition of Coal Age. A www.mining-media.com Mining Media International Editorial Office 11555 Central Parkway, Suite 401 Jacksonville, Florida 32224 U.S.A. Phone: +1.904.721.2925 Fax: +1.904.721.2930 Editor-In-Chief���Steve Fiscor, sfiscor@mining-media.com Western Field Editor���Russ Carter, rcarter@mining-media.com European Editor���Simon Walker, simon.iets@btinternet.com Latin American Editor���Oscar Martinez, omartinez@mining-media.com Associate Editor���Gina Tverdak-Slattery, gtverdak@mining-media.com News Editor, Mining���Joseph W. Kirschke, jkirschke@mining-media.com Graphic Designer���Austin St. Clair, astclair@mining-media.com Mining Media International Corporate Office 8751 East Hampden, Suite B1 Denver, Colorado 80231 U.S.A. Phone: +1.303.283.0640 Fax: +1.303.283.0641 President/Publisher���Peter Johnson, pjohnson@mining-media.com Vice President of Sales & Marketing���John Bold, jbold@mining-media.com U.S. & Canada Sales Manager���Victor Matteucci, vmatteucci@mining-media.com Scandinavia, UK and European Sales Manager���Colm Barry, colm.barry@telia.com German Sales Manager���Gerd Strasmann, info@strasmann-media.de Classified Advertising���Norm Rose, nrose@mining-media.com Show Manager���Tanna Holzer, tholzer@mining-media.com Ad Traffic Manager���Erica Freeman, efreeman@mining-media.com Coal Age, Volume 118, Issue 2, (ISSN 1040-7820) is published monthly by Mining Media Inc., 10 Sedgwick Drive, Englewood, Colorado 80113 (mining-media.com). Periodicals postage paid at Englewood, CO, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40845540. Canada return address: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor ON N9A 6J5, Email: circulation@mining-media.com. Current and back issues and additional resources, including subscription request forms and an editorial calendar, are available online at www.coalage.com. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified persons may subscribe at the following rates: USA and Canada, 1 year, $56.00, 2 year, $96.00, 3 year, $162.00, Student, $16.00, Outside the USA and Canada, 1 year, $77.00, 2 year, $137.00, 3 year, $225.00 surface mail (1 year, $145.00, 2 year, $257.00 airmail delivery). For subscriber services or to order single copies, write to Coal Age , 8751 East Hampden, Suite B1, Denver, CO 80231 USA; call +1.303.283.0640 (USA) or visit www.mining-media.com. ARCHIVES AND MICROFORM: This magazine is available for research and retrieval of selected archived articles from leading electronic databases and online search services, including Factiva, LexisNexis, and Proquest. For microform availability, contact ProQuest at 800-5210600 or +1.734.761.4700, or search the Serials in Microform listings at www.proquest.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Coal Age, P.O. Box 1337, Skokie, IL 60076 USA. Steve Fiscor, Coal Age Editor-In-Chief sfiscor@mining-media.com 4 www.coalage.com REPRINTS: Mining Media Inc, 8751 East Hampden, Suite B1, Denver, CO 80231 USA phone: +1.303.283.0640, fax: +1.303.283.0641, www.mining-media.com PHOTOCOPIES: Authorization to photocopy articles for internal corporate, personal, or instructional use may be obtained from the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at +1.978.750.8400. Obtain further information at www.copyright.com. COPYRIGHT 2013: Coal Age, incorporating Coal and Coal Mining & Processing. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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