Coal Age

JAN-FEB 2017

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May 2016 2 www.coalage.com editor's note The Tide Turns in Coal's Favor W e certainly have a treat for you this month. First, I apol- ogize for the lateness of this publication. Rather than publishing two thin editions, we decided to combine the Jan- uary and February editions into one healthy magazine. So, this month you have the Annual Forecast and the U.S. Longwall Census in one edition. But, before I comment on those, we need to talk about President Donald Trump. Last month, the name "Trump" appeared on the Coal Age cover for the first time and, as this edition was going to press, there were coal miners in the White House (See News, p. 4). They were there to witness President Trump signing House Joint Resolution 38 to repeal the Stream Protection Rule. While sign- ing the legislation, Trump said the following, "Compliance costs for this rule would be over $50 million a year for the coal indus- try alone, and it's unnecessary. I want to also thank the incredible coal miners who are with us today. I think we can maybe thank them the most, right, for — political leaders. You folks have put up with a lot. And you know, in other countries, they love their coal. Over here, we haven't treated it with the respect it deserves. Even for defense, having that coal is a very important thing for us. So, I want to thank you all." Powerful stuff. While it notes the desperate situation last year, the 2017 Annual Forecast over- flows with optimism. Coal operators are happier and, while they see production im- proving some in 2017, they are saying good things about 2018. They are also prepar- ing to invest after years of making ends meet. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that, after reaching a low point in 2016, coal-fired generation will increase from 2017-2020 as coal recaptures share from natural gas in the electric power generation mix. They might be in job pres- ervation mode, but they did say that coal consumption from the U.S. electric power sector will improve by 41 million tons compared to 2016. While that would barely get us back to 800 million tons per year, it's definitely a leap in the right direction. The biggest surprise about the U.S. Longwall Census is that, aside from a sub- stantial decrease in total longwall production, the sector remains intact and ready to ramp up. Another item worth noting is that the first American longwall has installed a set of Chinese shields. Seneca Coal is installing a set of ZMJ shields at the Oak Grove mine in Alabama. They are preparing a presentation for Longwall USA, which takes pace June 13-15 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hopefully, we can get President Trump to deliver the keynote. In all seriousness, however, we need to hold up our end of the deal. President Trump and Congress are going out of their way to extend much overdue support to the coal business. While everyone wants to see these regulations rolled back, I will remind you that our industry is at a precarious point. These politicians are going out on a limb for us and this is our opportunity to shine. This is no time to become com- placent with safety or environmental programs. One major mishap, an explosion or a massive release into the environment, and it will be game over. Be proud, do your jobs well and don't let safety slip. P.S.—In my last editorial, I made a serious mistake equating Trump's come-from- behind victory with the Chicago Cubs' 2016 World Series victory. As many Coal Age readers reminded me, the Cubs went into the World Series as favorites and nearly blew it. Trump was never favored. www.coalage.com Coal Age, Volume 122, Issue 1, (ISSN 1040-7820) is published monthly ex- cept January, July and October, by Mining Media International, Inc., 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306, Jacksonville, Florida 32224 (mining-media. com). Periodicals postage paid at Jacksonville, FL, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40845540. Canada return address: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor ON N9A 6J5, Email: circu- lation@mining-media.com. Current and back issues and additional re- sources, including subscription request forms and an editorial calendar, are available online at www.coalage.com. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscrib- ers. 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 sub- scriber services or to order single copies, write to Coal Age, 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA; call +1.904.721.2925 (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 mi- croform availability, contact ProQuest at 800-521-0600 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. REPRINTS: Mining Media International, Inc., 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA; phone: +1.904.721.2925, fax: +1.904.721.2930, www.mining-media.com PHOTOCOPIES: Authorization to photocopy articles for internal corporate, personal, or instructional use may be obtained from the Copyright Clear- ance Center (CCC) at +1.978.750.8400. Obtain further information at www.copyright.com. COPYRIGHT 2017: Coal Age, incorporating Coal and Coal Mining & Processing. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief sfiscor@mining-media.com BY STEVE FISCOR PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mining Media International, Inc. 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306 Jacksonville, Florida 32224 U.S.A. Phone: +1.904.721.2925 Fax: +1.904.721.2930 Editorial Publisher & Editor-in-Chief—Steve Fiscor, sfiscor@mining-media.com Associate Editor—Jennifer Jensen, jjensen@mining-media.com Technical Writer—Jesse Morton, jmorton@mining-media.com Contributing Editor—Russ Carter, rcarter@mining-media.com European Editor—Simon Walker, simon.iets@btinternet.com Latin American Editor—Oscar Martinez, omartinez@mining-media.com Graphic Designer—Tad Seabrook, tseabrook@mining-media.com Sales Midwest/Eastern U.S. & Canada, Sales—Victor Matteucci, vmatteucci@mining-media.com Western U.S. & Canada, Sales—Mary Lu Buse, mlbuse@mining-media.com Scandinavia, UK and European Sales—Colm Barry, colm.barry@telia.com Germany, Austria & Switzerland Sales—Gerd Strasmann, info@strasmann-media.de Japan Sales—Masao Ishiguro, ishiguro@irm.jp Show Manager— Michael Schoppenhorst, michael@semcoproductions.com Production Manager—Dan Fitts, dfitts@mining-media.com

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