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.
Issue link: https://coal.epubxp.com/i/82345
1960-1969 on really began to confront coal with some potentially serious problems, not the least of them being the fact that a growing num- ber of office-holders and vote-seekers feel that they can make political hay out of advocating rigorous restriction or complete barring of mine operation or coal use," wrote Given in his February 1967 editorial. With the Johnson administration's Department of Health, Education and Welfare heading the drive, "air and water pollution, already problems for coal, became big ones in 1966. States, cities and other governmental entities along with a host of private agencies and plain people, got into the act in 1966, with more to come in the years ahead…Though HEW and oth- er agencies had been active for some time, credit for opening the pollution ball of 1966 perhaps should go to New York City, and its mayor, John V. Lindsay. In his campaign he promised to stop the use of coal in the city…The City Council, in May, adopted a new air-pollution-control law, said to be the toughest in the nation, requiring reduc- tion of the maximum sulfur content of coal and oil from its original level of 2.8% to 1% in three stages in five years. Con Edison, New York's utility, also was required to install 99% efficient dust-collecting equip- ping in three years. Bituminous coal was banned for space and hot-water heating." New pollution laws treating federal instal- lations were set to go into affect in October 1968. The standard would require cuts to all sulfur emissions. Both the coal and utility industries commissioned feasible studies on cutting SO2 emissions, particulate mat- ter and other pollutants in an effort to "head off the promulgation of unworkable regulations with the potential of grave injury to the fuels industry." Strip-mining pluses: Recreation and more. *Coal Age, April 1966 112 www.coalage.com Also, as the year ended, the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania forcibly closed its first major mine, the Melcroft mine of Eastern Associated Coal Corp., due to viola- tions of the new Clean Streams Act, which had classified acid mine drainage as indus- trial waste and forbade its discharge to any stream. Federal and other state efforts con- tinued along similar lines as more AMD laws were put forth and debated. "Against a backdrop of increased federal, state and local pressure for tighter legislation, a new high was reached in land involved in recla- mation in 1966—and in the quality of the job. One result was a significant increase in the cost of reclamation per acre—$100 to $300 in the majority of cases…there was additional emphasis on the creation of facil- ities—fishing, camping, picnicking and the like—to help meet the growing need for reclamation. Conversion of mined lands into sites for housing, commercial and industrial facilities and, even, college campuses also was being carried out on an increasing scale." Production grew again in 1967 to 567 million tons and it was expected to rise rapidly from there as new mines came on line throughout the next few years. "The upward climb in bituminous production, dating back to 1961, contin- ued in 1967" with 551 mil- lion tons mined that year. The 1967 output was the highest since 1948, when production reached 600 million tons. Five of the top six producing mines that year were in the Illinois Basin; four of these were surface mines, and four of the top six were owned by Peabody. But top on the list was the Southwestern Illinois Captain surface mine that produced more than 5.8 million tons that 100th Anniversary Special Issue year. New in 1964, it quickly vaulted to the top of the heap. Just behind it was the Peabody Dynamo No. 10 underground mine in Illinois. Third was the Clinchfield/Pittston Moss No. 3 mine and the next three were the massive Peabody surface mines River King (Illinois), River Queen (western Kentucky) and Sinclair (western Kentucky) averaging more than 5 million tons per year each. Though Captain would be overtaken by the River King mine, the same operations were also the top five producers in 1968. As good as the year had been, the near term future was even brighter. "Coal's big expansion, which took a giant step in 1967, will accelerate rapidly in 1968, when some 47 new mines will go on stream," wrote new editor Alfred Flowers in the January issue. "When they are up to full capacity, these mines will add 79.5 million tons to annual output. Another 23 mines, capable of pro- ducing 68.3 million tons, already are on schedule to begin production by 1972. Nearly 83% of the new production will be dedicated to long-term contracts with utili- ty customers, demonstrating that coal has recognized and taken advantage of its opportunity to share in the sharply expand- ing electric energy market." 17 new deep mines representing more than 30 million tons were planned for West Virginia alone. Most of the new operations were already under contract at the time of the survey, meaning that "the full production of these new mines has been sold not only for a few years, but for the expected life of the prop- erty." An additional 17 metallurgical mines were in the advanced planning stage as well. Representing a total capacity of more than 26 million tons, only three of the new mines were captive. With all of the new production coming online, needed were new miners, and lots of them. In the August 1968 issue, Coal Age repeated Consol's call for 10,000 new work- ers. Equally hungry for workers, Eastern Associated in West Virginia rolled out a campaign to recruit and train 5,000 men through 1973 and had immediate needs for 1,500 employees in four mines already. By 1969, estimates of additional mining man- power needed in the next five years ranged up to 40,000 or more, requiring in turn a significant increase in recruiting and train- ing efforts. But environmental challenges re- mained at the forefront of the industries concerns, particularly the problems con- cerned with sulfur dioxide created by coal- burning electrical power plants. Though Coal Age analyzed the known data in the August 2012