Coal Age

JAN 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.

Issue link: https://coal.epubxp.com/i/105148

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 3 of 59

e d i t o r 's n o t e Looking Ahead to 2013, We Will Strive to Do Better T o edit a trade journal, one has to be a bit of a perfectionist and, if you are going to express an opinion, it helps to have thick skin. Similar to a carpenter that builds his own house, I can see every mistake in each edition. It's frustrating, but it happens. I usually offer apologies in the form of direct email correspondence, but last month's mistake was so egregious, I felt the need to apologize to the mine operator and Coal Age readers. It was only one word, but it meant the world to about 200 BY STEVE FISCOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF coal miners in Illinois who had worked their tails off to build one of the country's best underground coal mining operations. On the December 2012 Coal Age cover, I referred to Foresight Energy's Deer Run mine as Deer Creek. Chalk it up to a mental slip, there is a Deer Creek mine in Utah. Nothing was misspelled. The author didn't see the cover. And, in our haste to get everything to the printer to beat the holiday mail rush, we did not catch the mistake. So, I would like to formally apologize to Chris Cline, owner, Foresight Energy; Mike Beyer, CEO, Foresight Energy; Dwayne Francisco, mine president-Deer Run mine; the two shearer operators on the cover; all of the people working at Patton Mining's Deer Run mine; and all of the Coal Age readers. For the folks at Foresight Energy, we have reprinted the article with a modified cover to distribute to their workers. We have updated the cover on the Coal Age website. For all of the enthusiasts that collect Coal Age covers, we will be happy to email one to you if you request it. I wish I could apologize in advance for the Annual Forecast that we are publishing in this edition, but it is what it is. The coal industry will face another difficult year in 2013. Total U.S. coal production will likely decline for the second consecutive year. The decrease is a single digit percentage decrease, but with excess production capacity, large stockpiles and soft spot pricing, 2013 will be a year of reckoning for some coal operators, especially those with high costs or questionable safety records. From a regulatory standpoint, it's not going to get any easier. The good news is that the U.S. coal industry will still produce about 1 billion tons (if you round up) and that's a significant amount of coal. Success stories are beginning to surface in a sea of despair. Our cover story this month, Southern Coal, is a prime example. They have had to modify the way they do business. They have redesigned their mine plans to meet regulatory guidelines and remain as safe and efficient as possible. Similarly, they adapted their approach to sales working with customers on long-term agreements. The U.S. coal industry continues to make great strides in the areas of safety, mine design and engineering, and processing technology. Writing off U.S. coal operators would be an unwise, premature decision at this point. History has taught us that every time it looked like the end for Old King Coal, he went on to rally. We won't give up working for you if you don't give up on us. Again, apologies for the mistakes. Enjoy this edition of Coal Age. 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 1, (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 2 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.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Coal Age - JAN 2013