Peabody to open mine in New Mexico [BlackDiamond]
Largest U.S. coal producer starts project in New Mexico
The largest coal producing company in the U.S. soon will be starting up its first mining operation in New Mexico, as the first new coal mine to be awarded an operating permit in the state in six years.
The state Mining and Minerals Division, a regulatory agency of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, approved this week the permit for the El Segundo Surface Coal Mine, located 35 miles north of Milan along State Road 509 in McKinley County. The mine's owner is the Lee Ranch Coal Co., an operation of the Peabody Natural Resources Co., which is a subsidiary of Peabody Energy Corp. of St. Louis, Missouri. The statistical agency of the Department of Energy, the Energy Information Administration, whose latest data was for 2003, notes that Peabody was the largest producer of coal in the nation that year.
It is the first permit granted by the state for a coal operation since 1999. The area approved is on 15,000 acres of state and private land.
Beth Sutton, spokesperson with Peabody Energy, says the new mine will bring 100 new jobs to New Mexico and inject $10.5 million in wages and benefits into the economy each year.
The new New Mexico mining operation is projected to produce 102 million tons of coal over a 30 year period.
"Over the life of the mining operation, approximately 7,862 acres will be disturbed," says Bill Brancard, director of the Mining and Minerals Division. "Since mining and reclamation work will be performed at the same time, though, no more than about 2,000 acres will remain disturbed in any one year."
Lee Ranch has made an agreement with the state to restore the land disturbed by mining activities for rangeland grazing. Under the deal, the company would not get its bond back from the state until the rangeland has been restored for grazing use.
Peabody Energy says it "fuels more than 10 percent of the [U.S.'s] electricity and three percent of the world's electricity." The company's 2004 revenues totaled $3.6 billion.
blogger@steelonthenet.com
The largest coal producing company in the U.S. soon will be starting up its first mining operation in New Mexico, as the first new coal mine to be awarded an operating permit in the state in six years.
The state Mining and Minerals Division, a regulatory agency of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, approved this week the permit for the El Segundo Surface Coal Mine, located 35 miles north of Milan along State Road 509 in McKinley County. The mine's owner is the Lee Ranch Coal Co., an operation of the Peabody Natural Resources Co., which is a subsidiary of Peabody Energy Corp. of St. Louis, Missouri. The statistical agency of the Department of Energy, the Energy Information Administration, whose latest data was for 2003, notes that Peabody was the largest producer of coal in the nation that year.
It is the first permit granted by the state for a coal operation since 1999. The area approved is on 15,000 acres of state and private land.
Beth Sutton, spokesperson with Peabody Energy, says the new mine will bring 100 new jobs to New Mexico and inject $10.5 million in wages and benefits into the economy each year.
The new New Mexico mining operation is projected to produce 102 million tons of coal over a 30 year period.
"Over the life of the mining operation, approximately 7,862 acres will be disturbed," says Bill Brancard, director of the Mining and Minerals Division. "Since mining and reclamation work will be performed at the same time, though, no more than about 2,000 acres will remain disturbed in any one year."
Lee Ranch has made an agreement with the state to restore the land disturbed by mining activities for rangeland grazing. Under the deal, the company would not get its bond back from the state until the rangeland has been restored for grazing use.
Peabody Energy says it "fuels more than 10 percent of the [U.S.'s] electricity and three percent of the world's electricity." The company's 2004 revenues totaled $3.6 billion.
blogger@steelonthenet.com
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