Coal Age Magazine - For more than 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.
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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6 V O L . 1 2 1 N O . 1 FEATURE ARTICLES 1 8 Coal Miners Search for the Bottom O perators grow more pessimistic as demand for coal d eclines and prices drop 22 Optimizing Drilling Parameters for Improved Bolting Safety and Performance Testing reveals that optimizing drilling parameters for feed pressure, feed rate, rotation speed and drill torque can have a n impact on roof drill performance 2 8 A New Record for Coal Mining Safety Coal fatalities for 2015 total 11, setting a new benchmark on industry's road to zero 3 1 Silica Adds to Respirable Dust Concerns What if you could know the silica dust levels in a coal mine after every shift? 34 Achieving World-class Mining Maintenance: Step 2-Ensure Support for Maintenance In the second segment of this six-part series, the author explains the importance of a positive working environment in the process of developing and sustaining a top-notch mine maintenance program COAL IN THE NEWS 4 U.S. Mining Deaths Drop to New Lows in 2015 4 Rosebud Mining Idling Mines, Slicing Staff 5 Judge Approves Cutting of Walter Enery Labor, Benefits Deal 6 Signal Peak to Move Forward With Mine Expansion 7 Cliffs Sells Remaining North American Coal Assets 8 CONSOL Energy Signs Coal Supply Agreements 10 Illinois Expects Higher Coal Production in 2015 11 AEP Awaits Approval on Proposed Settlement 12 Westmoreland Restarts Buckingham Mine 13 Frasure Creek Mining to Pay for Water Quality Violations 14 Navajo Nation Exercises Option for Power Plant Ownership 15 San Juan Plant to Retire Units WORLD NEWS 5 Anglo to Sell Dartbrook to Australian Pacific Coal 6 Walter Canada to Sell Assets 7 Last UK Deep Mine Closes 8 Indonesia's Large Miners Plan to Produce More in 2016 THIS ISSUE MAINTENANCE/ 34 ROOF BOLTING/ 22 SAFETY REPORT/ 28 This month, Coal Age reports on the state of the industry in its Annual Forecast. While the situation is not great, the mining opera- tions that remain will invest to lower costs to compete against natur- al gas and burdensome regulations. On the cover, Kentucky coal miners arrive on the surface safely after a hard day's work. (AP Photo/David Goldman) DEPARTMENTS 2 Editorial 4 Coal in the News 5 World News 10 People 12 Dateline Washington 14 Calendar 16 Awards 38 Operating Ideas 40 Suppliers News 42 Product News 46 Classified 48 Legally Speaking January 2016 www.coalage.com 1 OPERATING IDEAS/ 38