Large Coal Mine Research Articles

Industrial Relations in Privatized UK Mining: A Contingency Strategy?

This paper explores variations in the pattern of colliery level industrial relations following the privatization of British Coal in four pits operated by the largest coal mining company in the UK. Differences are explained in terms of the competing institutions representing mineworkers and, most significantly, in relation to whether the mode of acquisition of the colliery required the management to maintain existing terms and conditions as a result of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981.

Regional and sectoral assessment of greenhouse gas emissions in India

In this paper the authors have estimated for 1990 and 1995 the inventory of greenhouse gases CO 2, CH 4 and N 2O for India at a national and sub-regional district level. The district level estimates are important for improving the national inventories as well as for developing sound mitigation strategies at manageable smaller scales. Our estimates indicate that the total CO 2, CH 4 and N 2O emissions from India were 592.5, 17, 0.2 and 778, 18, 0.3 Tg in 1990 and 1995, respectively. The compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of these gases over this period were 6.3, 1.2 and 3.3%, respectively. The districts have been ranked according to their order of emissions and the relatively large emitters are termed as hotspots. A direct correlation between coal consumption and districts with high CO 2 emission was observed. CO 2 emission from the largest 10% emitters increased by 8.1% in 1995 with respect to 1990 and emissions from rest of the districts decreased over the same period, thereby indicating a skewed primary energy consumption pattern for the country. Livestock followed by rice cultivation were the dominant CH 4 emitting sources. The waste sector though a large CH 4 emitter in the developed countries, only contributed about 10% the total CH 4 emission from all sources as most of the waste generated in India is allowed to decompose aerobically. N 2O emissions from the use of nitrogen fertilizer were maximum in both the years (more than 60% of the total N 2O). High emission intensities, in terms of CO 2 equivalent, are in districts of Gangetic plains, delta areas, and the southern part of the country. These overlap with districts with large coal mines, mega power plants, intensive paddy cultivation and high fertilizer use. The study indicates that the 25 highest emitting districts account for more than 37% of all India CO 2 equivalent GHG emissions. Electric power generation has emerged as the dominant source of GHG emissions, followed by emissions from steel and cement plants. It is therefore suggested, to target for GHG mitigation, the 40 largest coal-based thermal plants, five largest steel plants and 15 largest cement plants in India as the first step.

Confrontations and Compromise: Dispute Resolution at a Worker Cooperative Coal Mine

This paper compares dispute-resolution behavior at a large coal mine in South Wales at two times: when the mine was run as a conventional, hierarchical organization by British Coal and, several years later, when it was bought out by the employees and converted into a worker cooperative. Synthesizing themes from law and society, organizational theory, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) research, I demonstrate how shared ownership, flattened hierarchy, and cooperative ideology impact on disputing behavior. By changing from a hierarchical organization to a worker cooperative, the coal mine increased is level of procedural justice and transformed its dispute-resolution behavior to rely much more on informal resolution. Using qualitative methods, this research draws on 42 in-depth open interviews with miners and managers.

Barriers to Women's Advancement in Underground Coal Mining

Abstract This paper uses a middle‐range feminist theory by Reskin and Roos (1987) to examine how the sexualization of work relations, along with formal practices governing promotion at a large coal mine in central Appalachia, has led to job‐level sex segregation underground. Analyses of qualitative data from nonparticipant observation, in‐depth interviews with 10 coal mining women, and company documents reveal that sexualization represents men's power to stigmatize women as inferior workers and to maintain the stereotypes for assigning work to women. Formal practices, particularly training, seniority, and posting and bidding procedures, legitimize the process of matching women workers with gender‐typed jobs. Coal mining women's resistance is reflected in their awareness of how men's stereotypes are used and in their continual individual efforts to prove their competence as coal miners.

LIVESTOCK IMPACTS FOR MANAGEMENT OF RECLAIMED LAND AT NAVAJO MINE: VEGETATION RESPONSES

The post-mining land use for Navajo Mine, a large surface coal mine in northwest New Mexico, is livestock grazing. Reclamation began in the early 1970`s and has been primarily directed toward the development of a grassland with shrubs. However, none of these lands were grazed before 1994 and none have been released back to the Navajo Nation. Therefore, it is not known how these reclaimed lands will respond to livestock impacts once the lands are released. Livestock impacts include grazing, trampling, and adding feces and urine. Cattle impacts were applied in 1994 to a land that had been reclaimed in 1978, 1991 and 1992. Vegetation monitoring procedures were implemented to detect and document successful and unsuccessful impact practices for both impacted areas and areas excluded from cattle. After three impact seasons, there were similar levels of perennial plant cover, production, and density on impacted lands compared to excluded lands. Based on age structure analysis, there is a trend that establishment of seedlings is stimulated by cattle. Cattle also decrease the amount of previous years` growth of standing phytomass with a trend to stimulate new growth. It is possible that some of the previous year`s growth was reduced by cattle tramplingmore » as much as by grazing because cattle generally prefer to eat the current year`s growth before it cures. No differences in number of seedheads per plant, animal sign, plant pedestals, and soil rills could be detected after three seasons of impacting.« less

PROGRAM TO EXPEDITE RECLAMATION WHILE REDUCING COSTS

The Coteau Properties Company (Coteau) operates the Freedom Mine, a large surface coal mine in western North Dakota. About 5,000 acres have been reclaimed since 1986. Through partnerships with local farmers and ranchers, the mining company has developed a program to expedite a return of reclaimed cropland and prairie to full economic use. Reclaimed croplands are being farmed immediately after topsoil is spread, rather than following the common industry practice of planting a hayland crop and breaking it several years later. This reduces seeding and tillage costs and allows local producers to manage a quick economic return on reclaimed lands. It also provides crop yield data earlier in the bond liability period. Cattle grazing is used as a vegetation management tool as soon as grass stands are established. This also provides a local economic benefit in addition to reducing management costs. Grazing is an essential element in managing reclaimed stands for diversity. The mine works closely with local producers in developing annual farm plans that will satisfy the ultimate goal of final bond release. Amenities provided to enhance land use include all-weather section line roads, designed field a roaches, shelterbelts, fencing, stockponds and stockwater tanks, and livestock corrals.

LIVESTOCK IMPACTS FOR MANAGEMENT OF l{ECLAIMED LAND AT NAVA.JO MINE: THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Livestock grazing is the post-mining use for reclaimed land at Navajo Mine, a large surface coal mine on the Navajo Nation in northwest New Mexico. The Navajo Mine Grazing Management Program (GMP) uses holistic management on approximately 2,083 ha of reclaimed land to plan for final liability release and return of the land to the Navajo Nation, and to minimize the potential for post-release liability. The GMP began in 1991 to establish that livestock grazing on the reclaimed land is sustainable. Assuming that sustainability requires alternatives to conventional land management practices, the GMP created a Management Team consisting of company staff, local, Navajo Nation, and Federal government officials, and technical advisors. community members contributed to the formation of a holistic goal for the GMP that articulates their values and their desire for sustainable grazing. Major decisions (e.g., ficial insemination, water supply, supplemental feed) are tested against the goal. Biological changes in the land and the grazing animals are monitored daily to provide early feedback to managers, and annually to document the results of grazing. To date, the land has shown resilience to grazing and the animals have generally prospered. Community participation in the GMP and public statements of support by local officials indicate that the GMF”Sstrategy is likely to succeed. Additional

Filling agricultural waste into coal mine goafs: a potential carbon sequestration in China

China is a significant atmospheric carbon dioxide producer. Burning of agricultural waste in China is also a problematic issue, raising environmental and carbon-emission-related concerns. Furthermore, the coal-dependent economy is accompanied by the formation of large coal mine goaf areas, particularly in Shanxi Province. In this context, the idea of filling crop residues into the coal mine goafs is proposed. This concept addresses multi-functions:(1) carbon sequestration, (2) an alternative disposal method of crop residue in rural areas, and (3) coal mine goaf remedy.

A case study of acoustics and vibration of mine fans

In December 1991, several residents of Hueytown, AL, began hearing what they referred to as a mysterious sound. This sound, which became known as the Hueytown Hum, was alleged to be so disruptive that one resident claimed it made it impossible to hold a prayer meeting in his house. Bathroom pipes were said to rattle, and the sound would quickly come and go. This phenomenon attracted considerable attention from the news media. Jim Waiter Resources Inc. (JWR) owns and operates a large underground coal mine in the vicinity of Hueytown, and city officials were quick to blame the mysterious sound on a mine-ventilation fan which was installed at approximately the same time the noise began. To address the concerns of the city officials, JWR contracted with The University of Alabama to perform a study to determine if the ventilation fans were a contributing factor to the Hueytown Hum. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acoustical and vibrational characteristics of the JWR fans operating in the Hueytown area. This paper presents the findings of this investigation.

The Discovery of He Anomaly in the Stress Concentrated Zone of Coal Beds and Its Significance

The outburst of coal and gas is an important subject of coal mining in China.Its frequency and the quantity of outburst of coal were increasing in the recent dec-ades. Specially, the large outburst, more than one thousand tons, occasionally hap-pened in some coal mines and the outburst of coal also occurred in the deep-bed ofsome large coal mines. So it is an urgent task to predict, prevent and control theawful danger to gas-rich coal-fields. Recently, the research is accomplished based on

Franz Joseph Märter, Travel Companion of Johann David Schöpf in a Journey From Philadelphia to Florida and the Bahamas in 1783-1784

Two years before Johann David Schöpf (1752-1800) published his Beyträge … (1787), Franz Joseph Märter (1753-1827) sent letters from Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, and East-Florida to Ignaz von Born, describing plants, animals, and geological features of the newly independent states. These letters were speedily printed in Physikalische Arbeiten … in Vienna (1785). A last letter sent from the Bahamas appeared in the same periodical in 1786. Märter's geological observations are translated and analyzed here for the first time. His descriptions of various rocks along the Schuylkill River, upstream from Philadelphia (granites, limestones, marble quarries, widespread weathered iron ores), and his interpretation of the fossiliferous sandstones in the Appalachian mountains are very similar to those by Schöpf. So are Märter's observations of shell banks, either exposed in ditches many miles from the sea, or in cliffs at Yorktown, Virginia, and Wilmington, North Carolina, as well as his description of granite and of a large coal mine near Richmond, Virginia. Finally, both travelers noticed that the rocky cliffs in the Bahamas consisted of limestone formed by Muschelsand [beachrock]. We established that Märter and Schöpf traveled together from Philadelphia to the Bahamas (November 1783 to March 1784). But neither acknowledged the influence, or at least the presence of the other, probably for political reasons.

Mountain restoration: Soil and surface wildlife habitat

Much wildlife habitat is being destroyed by extractive resource industries in mountain environments. This article illustrates how mountain wildlife habitat was restored in a devastated area. A strip mine for coal on the east slopes of the Alberta Rockies, occupied during its operations by Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis, Shaw 1803), was reclaimed as bighorn habitat. By considering the behaviour and habitat requirements of bighorns in conjunction with an operating coal mine and reclamation process, a large coal mining company has been able to reconstruct the mine site restoration to benefit mountain sheep. Although bighorn habitat requirements are well known, it was not until the animal and its requirements were studied against the backdrop of an operating coal mine that obvious recommendations regarding the maintenance and placement of high steep excavated rock faces were made and accepted by the government regulatory agencies. An open pit mine is a devastated landscape; trees, soil and overburden are removed to retrieve coal that may be up to 215 m underground. Overburden and soil are returned, but the disturbance compares to the barren landscapes left behind by glaciers. Contouring of the land, grading of overburden and soil, seeding with grass and legume mixtures and extensive fertilization are designed to speed plant colonization and soil development. By examining the bighorn's biological needs with respect to specific mining operations, a unique opportunity arose to employ McHarg's “design with nature” concept. This approach incorporates environmental and societal values into every aspect of development, and promotes the evaluation of the constraints and opportunities arising. The sheep numbered about 200. Their seasonal movements were similar to those found on native ranges. They used the reclaimed areas as winter range and for the mineral licks exposed during mining; in summer, the sheep moved to nearby alpine areas. Two thirds of all sightings were confined to 1.3 km2 of reclaimed grassland; its average productivity (4190 kg/ha) exceeded native ranges (1700 kg/ha). The body mass of female sheep in autumn equalled that of the largest in Alberta, but the skull dimensions were not larger than those of adjacent ranges. Infestation with lungworms was moderate. Lamb production and survival were high. Design criteria should be: feeding areas should be dry and lie within 300 m of escape terrain, which should have a slope of 40% and contain at least three benches. Rock piles should be placed on grazing areas. Mineral licks, a vital welfare factor, already existed within the high walls created by strip mining.

Growth of Douglas Fir and Red Alder on Coal Spoils in Western Washington

Responsible conservation ethic calls for restoration of mined forest land to its former level of productivity. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of reclamation of spoils from a large coal mine in western Washington in achieving that goal. Potential productivity of spoils was evaluated by comparing tree performance, rooting depth, and substrate properties on mined areas with conditions on nearby unmined areas, some of which were in plantations (termed reference plantations) of similar ages to the trees planted on the spoils. Mean site index (50 y) of young Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, on spoils was not significantly lower (mean 38 ± 3 m) than on unmined soils (40 ± 2 m), whereas mean site index of young red alder, Alnus rubra Bong., (20 ± 1 m) was significantly lower on spoils than in older stands on natural soils (29 ± 1 m). Maximum rooting depth of the Douglas fir was significantly less in spoils (0.6 ± 0.1 m) than in natural soils (0.9 ± 0.1 m), whereas rooting depths of the alder (0.7-1.0 m) were not significantly different between spoils and natural soils. Bulk densities were generally higher in spoils than in natural soils. Nitrogen status of spoils was less than half that in natural soils (both concentration and content in the profile) and foliar N concentration in Douglas fir was less on spoils. Consequently, N fertilization may be needed in the future to prevent a decline in growth relative to natural stands. Problem areas on spoils where trees were absent or growth was severely restricted showed a variety of substrate problems. Care in placing spoils is needed to minimize such problems.

Sediment Body Quantification: Examples from a Late Permian Mixed Influence Deltaic System, Bowen Basin, Australia: ABSTRACT

The Bowen basin open-cut coal mines of central Queensland, Australia, provide some of the best exposures of alluvial and fluviodeltaic sequences in the world. Within the Bowen basin coal is mined extensively along a strike length of 5-600 km exposing various parts of an Upper Permian terrestrial to shallow-marine sequence. Individual mines cover 10-30 km of strike and may work several different seams that are correlatable between mines. The project described here is aimed at providing a detailed database on facies geometry within coal-bearing alluvial and fluviodeltaic sequences of the Bowen basin. Data has been collected from the profusion of very large open-cut coal mine exposures in eastern Queensland, Australia, and rationalized into a form useful for hydrocarbon reservoir description. High-quality geometrical data is obtained from controlled photomosaics of highwalls supplemented by information from close-spaced borehole networks. Detailed information from core and accessible exposures allows accurate sedimentological interpretation. Interpretation of the German Creek Formation, one of the coalbearing units of the Bowen basin, suggests that accumulation occurred on an extensive lower delta plain, within a mixed (i.e., wave-tide-fluvial influenced) delta. Four facies have been identified, two of which are possible reservoirs: facies A, major channelized sandstone bodies (4-11 m thickmore » and 0.5-5 km wide, elongate perpendicular to basin edge), interpreted as deltaic distributary channel fills; and facies B, tabular sandstone bodies (9-20 m thick tens of km in areal extent, elongate parallel to basin margin) internally dominated by hummocky cross-stratification, interpreted as proximal mouth bar deposits.« less

Mine surveying at Newlands

Background Newlands is a large scale open-cut export steaming coal mine located in the northern section of the Bowen Basin (see fig. 1). Development began in 1981, with coal mining commencing in 1983. Conventional open-cut stripping methods are used to expose and remove the coal for product preparation. Coal quality factors restrict mining to the Upper Newlands Seam with an average thickness of 7.5 metres. The Coal Preparation Plant. which was designed to produce 4MT/annum, has to date consistently produced in excess of 4.5MT/annum. Product coal is railed to, and exported through, Australia's most northern coal port of Abbot Point. The mine, railway and port facilities were developed by the M.I.M. Group as part of a major expansion by the Company into large scale coal production.

Radiocommunication in mines and tunnels

The transmission-line or ‘leaky-feeder’ principle for propagating radio signals in tunnels is being studied and developed to provide the extended range necessary in large coal mines. Findings so far have enabled a prototype 2-way system to be engineered, and the techniques have application to other long tunnels.

Navajo Mine, Supplying Coal for Energy Needs of Southwest: ABSTRACT

By 1970 Utah Construction & Mining Co.'s Navajo Mine will be the largest coal mine in the United States, producing about 8.5 million tons of power-plant fuel each year. While the existence of coal in the San Juan basin of northwestern New Mexico has been known for many years, it has been only in the recent decade, with the beginning of Utah Construction & Mining Co.'s search for steam coal reserves in the Southwest, that the potential of these vast coal fields has been realized. In the early 1950s Utah obtained a prospecting permit from the Navajo Tribe to prospect for coal in the Four Corners area of New Mexico. In subsequent years these efforts led to the receipt of a mining lease containing approximately 31,000 acres, which contain in excess of 1.1 billion tons of strippable coal. Later, with the receipt of certain water rights, Utah was in a position to attract power companies to the Four Corners area with the establishment of mine-mouth plants to take advantage of the low cost fuel supply. With operations since 1963 at a level of approximately 2.5 million tons per year, the Navajo Mine operation has been equipped with some of the larger, high capacity materials handling equipment available. Now in the process of increasing this level of production almost four-fold, mining and coal preparation facilities are currently in the process of gearing up to meet the increased demand. Yet even with the increased production level of 1970, less than one-half of the total Navajo Mine coal reserves will be committed to the long-term operation of existing power plants. Therefore, efforts are continuing for the future development of the mine to increase further its role as a major source in energy for the needs of the Southwest. End_of_Article - Last_Page 215------------

Is the Bituminous Coal Miner Immune from Tubercular Infection While Actively Engaged in His Occupation?

DuQuoin, Ill., Nov. 21, 1905. To the Editor: —After an experience of 25 years in one of the largest coal mining towns in southern Illinois, and during this time having under my observation from 700 to 1,200 coal miners; and after careful enquiry among the oldest miners in this locality as to the number of coal miners that have been infected with this dreadful disease, I have been forced to the conclusion that bituminous coal miners, while actively engaged in their occupation, are practically immune from tubercular infection. About seven years ago I commenced the treatment of whooping cough by sending the patient down in the mines immediately after the miners had fired a shot; having the patient inhale the gas and powder smoke for one and a half to two hours at a time. I found that one or two sittings was sufficient to effect a cure in from