xt7f7m04042d https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7f7m04042d/data/mets.xml Kentucky Kentucky Coal Association Kentucky Coal Council 1999 journals  English  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Coal Facts Kentucky Coal Facts: 1999-2000 Pocket Guide text Kentucky Coal Facts: 1999-2000 Pocket Guide 1999 2014 true xt7f7m04042d section xt7f7m04042d 1999-2000 POCKET GUIDE
  ,  00  ,  0 0 0   9 0 0    
  __A_
i X
Kentucky Coal Provides / Eg K
* I.  
  edt:  
qv *·${5.#•
‘ ~    4+?·’¥’¢r'#'¤’  
.=I'I 'n4Afn’1`}  
;,_ i       Jobs, Energy, Tax Revenue, and Economic Growth
  y Prepared by the
  Kentucky Coal Council
andthe
Kentucky Coal Association
http://wwwcoaieducation.org Edition    
i

 Electricity
Average electricity costs in Kentucky were 4.2 cents/kilowatt-hour in 1998, the third
lowest in the United States behind two Northwestern hydro states.
Production
Kentucky produced 156.9 million tons of coal in 1998, compared to the record .
production of 179.4 million tons set in 1990. Kentucky has been one of the top
three coal producers in the United States for the last 50 years.
Employment ~
The Kentucky coal industry paid $830.6 million in direct wages in 1998, directly
employing 18,950 persons and indirectly providing 3 additional jobs for every miner
employed. The average weekly wagefor coal miners in Kentucky was $843 during 1 998.
Economy
The Kentucky coal industry brought over $2.7 billion into Kentucky from out-of-state
during Fiscal Year 1998-1999 through coal sales to customers in 24 other states
and several foreign countries. Kentucky coal companies paid $153.6 million in coal
severance taxes in Fiscal Year 1999.
Coal Markets
A total of 64 electric utility companies purchased 120.5 million tons of Kentucky
coal for 138 electric power plants located in 24 states during 1998, accounting for
almost 77% of the Kentucky coal sold.
Approximately 80% of the coal produced in Kentucky is sold out—of-state each year.
There are 22 maior coal—burning electric generating plants in Kentucky, and almost
_ all (95.7%) of Kentucky's electricity is generated from coal.
Environment
All surface-mined land today is reclaimed equal to or better than it was prior to
mining. Kentucky received 5 national reclamation awards in 1997 and 1998 for
surface mining and received a total of 22 awards in the past 13 years.
Coal mining creates valuable lands such as wildlife habitats, gently rolling
mountaintops, wetlands, and industrial sites where only steep, unproductive
hillsides had once existed.
Kentucky operators have paid over $726.6 million into the Federal Abandoned Mine
Land Fund since 1978 to reclaim abandoned coal mines. Nationwide, operators
have paid over $5.09 billion into this fund. However, $1.35 billion remains
unallocated for AML reclamation.
Coal Resources _
Kentucky has two distinct coal fields, one in Western Kentucky and one in Eastern
Kentucky. Kentucky's 89 billion tons of coal resources remaining represent 85% of
the original resource.  
Teacher Resources
Coal education resource materials are now available to teachers and students on the i
internet at the web site www. coa/education.org. Additionally, a coal education multi-
media library kit with interactive learning tools is now available in every public
elementary, middle school, and county library in Kentucky;
December 1999. This publication is for informational use only. lt includes some extrapolative
second and third party data as well as some broad estimates, and should not necessarily be
construed as official source data or be construed as advocating or reflecting any policy position
of the Kentucky Coal Council or the Kentucky Coal Association.
I [www.coaleducation.org]

 Three centuries after it was discovered in America, coal is still providing power for
the nation. As we begin a new century, coal faces many challenges to its premier
status, but its importance can never be questioned. The fuel that enabled the United
States to become the wealthiest industrialized nation in the world is still responsible
for over half the nation's electrical power.
‘ Coal provides 56% of the electricity in this country, and in Kentucky 95.7% of our
electricity comes from coal.
Average electricity costs in Kentucky were 4.2 cents per kilowatt-hour during 1998,
— the third lowest in the United States.
Kentucky's share of the steam coal market to U.S. electric
ggaégmglzs, utilities nas declined, tiriwri from 22.5% ortiie market in tors
' to 13.0% in 1998. (see page 28)
As Kentucky coal companies consolidated into a globally competitive industry, the
number of mines currently in Kentucky are down to almost a 1/4 ofthe 2,063 mines
in 1984. (see page 6)
The amount of sulfur dioxide emitted from burning coal in Kentucky has been reduced
by more than 1/2 since 1976. (see page 38)
Post-mining land use changes are providing long term economic, social, and
environmental benefits to Kentucky, and the benefits are increasing. (see pages 30
and 31)
Kentucky ships over 2.8 times as much coal to its neighboring
Is there a Trend? states as it receives from them, but Kentucky's positive coal
flow ratio has been cut in half since 1990. (see page 22)
Natural gas costs to U.S. electric utilities in 1993 and again in 1998 increased higher
than petroleum while coal costs continued to steadily decrease. (see page 33)
Underground mining in Kentucky continues to show steady safety improvements.
(see page 10)
0ver $2.7 billion continues to be brought into Kentucky each year from coal sales to
29 other states and 13 foreign countries. (see page 15)
The number of successful mining reclamation bond releases in Kentucky continues
to grow each year. (see page 29)
0,, me Horizon? A "New Age" of electrical use according to a Forbes magazine
article, May, 1999, drawing from a study by l\/lills-ll/lcCarthy
& Associates is on the horizon. "24—by—7" (24 hours a day/ 7 days a week) is how
they refer to this new age of electric demand by the PC—lnternet industry. The
information technology industry has created a stealth revolution in electric demand;
100% uptime. And currently, internet use is doubling every 3 months.
L `   Personal Computers (PCs)
  ,,___ \ A in home 50,000,000
  _   ,___ . business use 150,000,000
Q ‘  _ ’      / . sold each year 36,000,000
Forecasters preiiiet that the internet will be responsible for one—half to two-thirds of
all growth in the U.S. electricity demand. Analysis shows that for every 2,000
kilobytes of data moving on the internet, the energy from one pound of coal is needed
to create the necessary kilowatt-hours (kWh°°°'). (see page 45)
Source: See individual reference pages as listed.

 Governor’s Office Phone: 502/564-2611
700 Capitol Ave., State Capitol Building, - Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: 502/564-2517
Department of LOCaI Gvverllmenl Phone: 502/573-2382
1024 Capital Center Drive, Ste. 340 — Frankfort, KY 40601 -8204 Fax: 502/573-2939
or 502/573-2512
Department of Mines and Minerals Phone: 502/srs-0140
P.0. Box 2244, 1025 Capital Ctr. Dr., Ste, 201 - Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax; 502/573-0152
Kentucky Geological Survey Phone: 606/257-5500
228 Mining & Mineral Resources Bldg. - Lexington, KY 40506-0107 Fax: 606/257-1147
Legislative Research Commission Phone; 502/564-8100
700 Capitol Ave., Capitol Bldg., Rm. 300 — Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: 502/564-6543
Natural Resources and _
Environmental Protection Cabinet r Phone: 502/564-asso
Capital Plaza Tower, 5th Floor- Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: 502/564-3354
Department for Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement Phone: 502/564-6940
Commissioner's Office Fax: 502/564-5698
Division of Field Services Phone: 502/564-2340
Division of Permits Phone: 502/564-2320
#2 Hudson Hollow - Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: 502/564-6764
Division of Abandoned Lands Phone: 502/564-2141
2521 Lawrenceburg Road - Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: 502/564-6544
Department for Environmental Protection Phone: 502/564-2150
Division of Waste Management Phone: 502/564-6716
Division of Water Phone: 502/564-3410
14 Reilly Rd., Ash Bldg. — Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: 502/564-4245
Division of Air Duality Control Phone: 502/573-3382
803 Schenkel Lane — Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: 502/573-3787
Revenue Cabinet Phone; 502/564-4581
Department of Tax Administration Phone: 502/564-5523
Division of Compliance and Tax Payer Assistance Fax: 502/564-2906
Miscellaneous Tax Section, Severance Tax Unit
200 Fair Oaks Lane - Frankfort, KY 40620
Department of Property Valuation Phone: 502/564-8334
Division of Technical Support, Mineral Valuation Section Fax: 502/564-5977
200 Fair Oaks Lane, 4th Floor- Frankfort, KY 40620
Transportation Cabinet Phone: 502/564-ma
Division of Planning, Coal Haul Section Fax: 502/564-2865
125 Holmes Street- Frankfort, KY 40622
UK - Center for Applied Energy Research Phone; ooo/257-osos
Research Park Drive - Lexington, KY 40511-8433 Fax: 606/257-0220
United States Department of Energy Phone: 202/soo-sooo
National Energy information Ctr., El-30, Forrestal Bldg., IE-248 Fax: 202/586-0727
1000 Independence Ave. — Washington, DC 20585
Workforce Development Cabinet Phone: 502/564-rote r
Dept. for Employment Services, Research and Statistics Branch Fax: 502/564-2937
Employment and Wages Section
275 E. Main Street, CHR Building — Frankfort, KY 40621
Web site addresses: most reference sources have a web site address listed at the bottom of F
each page, and additional data can be obtained at these web sites. All addresses are world wide
web (www), except as otherwise noted (i.e., ftp://ftp.), and the (http://) is implied on each
address although not listed due to space limitations.
Example - [http://www.coaleducation.org]
Acknowledgment i
Tears Francis, Desktop Publishing Krina Fry, Graphic Designer

 Table of Contents
Highlights ......................................................................................................... i
Changes and Trends ....................................................................................... 1
References ..................................................................................................... 2
Contents ........................................................................................................ 3
Types of Mining .............................................................................................. 4
History of Coal ............................................................................................. 19
Productron
U.S. Production .............................................................................................. 5
g Kentucky Production ....................................................................................... 6
County Production .......................................................................................... 7
Employment
Employment ................................................................................................... 8
Employment/Productivity ................................................................................ 9
Safety and Training ....................................................................................... 10
Employment/\Nages by County ..................................................................... 12
Economy
Severance Tax by County ............................................................................. 13
Coal Taxes Returned to Counties .................................................................. 14
Economic Impact ......................................................................................... 15
Coal Prices ................................................................................................... 39
Coal Markets
Top Utility Consumers .................................................................................. 21
Distribution — Utility Coal ............................................................................... 22
Distribution to CoaI—Fired Plants in Kentucky ................................................. 23
Kentucky Coal Shipments to Electric Utility Plants ......................................... 24
U.S. Electric Utility - Coal .............................................................................. 28
Coal - Low Cost Energy ................................................................................ 33
Uses of Coal ................................................................................................. 34
Coal Exports/Imports ................................................................................... 35
Transportation .............................................................................................. 36
Envrronment
Reclamation ................................................................................................. 29
Post-l\/lining Land Uses ................................................................................. 30
Land Uses/Mountaintop ll/lining ..................................................................... 31
Al\/IL Reclamation ......................................................................................... 32
Air0uaIity/By-Products ................................................................................. 38
Coal Resources
Coal Origin and Properties ............................................................................ 17
Coal Properties/improvements ...................................................................... 18
U.S. Comparisons-Production ....................................................................... 40
U.S. Coal Reserves ....................................................................................... 41
__ Kentucky Coal Resources ............................................................................. 42
Teacher Resources
www.coaIeducation.org ................................................................................ 44
PCs + www. = kWhC°a' .............................................................................. 45
’ Coal Education Field Trip Sites in Kentucky ................................................... 46
Coal-Fired Power Plants in Kentucky ............................................................. 47
Electrrcrty
Coal-into-Kilowatts ....................................................................................... 26
Electricity Costs ........................................................................................... 48
information Assistance ................................................................................. 49

 Kentucky has two distinct coal fields, each containing numerous deposits of
bituminous coal of various characteristics and mines of every type and size. By
the use of large draglines and shovels, the excavation of two or more coal seam
deposits (multi-seam mining) is possible inthe large area surface mines of the
gently rolling Western Kentucky coal field and inthe large mountaintop removal
mines in the steeper terrain of the Eastern Kentucky coal field. Both the Eastern
and Western Kentucky coal fields have large, modern, and efficient underground
mines (of various entry types) utilizing improved mining methods with increased
mechanization including continuous miners, longwall mining panels, or both.
Of Kentucky’s 150.3* million Surface
tons of 1998 coal production,
92.8 milliontons were produced
by underground mining meth- ‘= .  
ods and 57.5 million tons were  
produced by surface mining *¤·"
methods. oggo Obgqmgpf
` in  
1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998
Source: Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals, Annual Reports, 1950-1998.
6 [www.caer.uky.edu/kdmm/homepage.htm]

 There were 482 mines in Kentucky during 1998.
These 482 mines were issued 721 Kentucky mine
licenses and produced 156.9 million tons.
277 underground mines (356 licenses) accounted for  
62% of Kentucky’s production and 205 surface mines
(365 licenses) accounted for 38% of Kentucky’s produc- ,,
tion. ·1I| I: '
78% of Western Kentucky and 58% of Eastern Kentucky‘s
coal production was from underground mines during
1998.
29 Kentucky counties produced coal in 1998; 10 Western Kentucky counties and
19 Eastern Kentucky counties.
1998 Production by County and Type of Mine License*
Underground Surface Total
County Licenses Tonnage Licenses Tonnage Licenses Tonnage
EASTERN KENTUCKY
Bell 18 3,446,024 13 2,089,313 31 5,535,337
Breathitt - - 15 5,114,284 15 5,114,284
Carter — — 1 10,068 1 10,068
Clay 1 24,780 11 358,950 12 383,730
Floyd 40 3,371,872 8 3,549,131 48 6,921,003
Harlan 42 7,030,822 19 1,863,585 61 8,894,407
Jackson — - 1 1,000 1 1,000
Johnson 3 1,122,515 6 161,327 9 1,283,842
Knott 34 5,323,122 23 5,708,165 57 11,031,287
Knox 16 456,128 9 192,765 25 648,893
Lawrence 2 238,340 4 162,482 6 400,822
Leslie 9 7,543,274 5 1,797,234 14 9,340,508
Letcher 23 7,272,864 32 3,654,936 55 10,927,800
Magotfin - - 2 819,070 2 819,070
Martin 27 5,932,925 17 6,328,104 44 12,261,029
Owsley — - 3 50,429 3 50,429
Perry 18 5,652,935 21 6,035,671 39 11,688,606
Pike 100 22,567,221 131 12,929,025 231 35,496,246
Whitley 2 83,373 7 159,168 9 242,541
EKY Total 335 70,066,195 328 50,984,707 663 121,050,902
WESTERN KENTUCKY
Butler - - 1 9,123 1 9,123
Christian — — 1 555,059 1 555,059
Daviess - - 4 881,587 4 881,587
Henderson 1 530,637 3 1,482,264 4 2,012,901
' Hopkins 7 4,610,713 14 3,178,328 21 7,789,041
McLean 1 1,279,421 2 536,936 3 1,816,357
Muhlenberg 4 2,636,442 5 654,907 9 3,291,349
Ohio - — 3 336,548 3 336,548
_ Union 3 7,592,726 1 4,819 4 7,597,545
Webster 5 11,221,131 3 317,483 8 11,538,614
WKY Total 21 27,871,070 37 7,957,054 58 35,828,124
KY Totals 356 97,937,265 365 58,941,761 721 156,879,02B
*NOTE: The number ot licenses are greater than the number of mines because a mine may be relicensed
it the company changes.
Source; Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals, Annual Report, 1998.
[www.caer.uky.edu/kdmm/homepage.htm] 7

 The Kentucky coal mining industry has a current work force of approximately
17,794* people directly employed in coal mining jobs. The Western Kentucky coal
field directly employs approximately 3,386 persons, while the Eastern Kentucky
coal field provides 14,408 direct mining jobs.
kenruerrys coal Mmmg E=·S}g=_;g,*;·;g},;··=*W
Work Force, 1998 surraee 5,105
Underground 9,303
T t I 14,408
Western Kentucky O 3
Coal Field
Surface 706 ...,,. 
Under round 2,680     .
Total asso      
— ¢¤@-·   k é
  W     w@§% ¢$ 4 
  @4**  °"‘* M We
`E Mm V J W     »
W5 t,,,,, g 5,..,... wv   at
,  ¤   ¤¢W%d.@M?   —·-  2
• Calloway ‘ `
Eastern Kentucky averaged 81% of Kentucky’s coal mining work force and ac-
counted for about 78% of Kentucky’s total coal production in 1998.
Western Kentucky averaged 19% of Kentucky’s coal mining work force and ac-
counted for about 22% of Kentucky’s total coal production in 1998.
Kentucky produced 150.3 million tons during 1998 while direct mining employment
continued to decline.
Kentucky Coal Mining Employment, 1979-1998
Western Kentucky Eastern Kentucky Kentucky
Year Surface Underground Total Surface Underground Total Totals
1979 4,343 6,945 11,288 12,838 23,064 35,902 47,190
1980 3,995 7,879 11,874 11.819 22,702 34,521 46,395
1981 4,056 6,489 10,545 13,473 24,032 37,505 48,050
1982 4,120 5,639 9,759 12,319 22,782 35,101 44,860
1983 3,415 4,918 8,333 10,485 17,615 28,100 36,433
1984 4,022 4,053 8,075 11,327 18,474 29,801 37,876
1985 3,421 4,294 7,715 10,516 18,583 29,099 36,814
1986 2,327 4,297 6,624 8,718 17,312 26,030 32,654
1987 2,345 4,605 6,950 8,740 16,900 25,640 32,590
1988 1,825 4,388 6,213 8,261 16,085 24,346 30,559 ,
1989 1,870 4,166 6,036 8,034 16,586 24,620 30,656
1990 2,095 3,491 5,586 7,505 17,407 24,912 30,498
1991 1,910 3,603 5,513 6,251 14,878 21,129 26,642
1992 1,722 3,483 5,205 6,014 13,405 19,419 24,624
1993 1,887 3,465 5,352 5,683 13,028 18,711 24,063 —
1994 1,803 2,988 4,791 5,728 12,849 18,577 23,368
1995 1,109 3,176 4,285 5,474 11,366 16,840 21,125
1996 1,095 2,601 3,696 4,855 10,275 15,130 18,826
1997 937 2,578 3,515 5,053 10,369 15,422 18,937
1998 706 2,680 3,386 5,105 9,303 14,408 17,794
*NOTE: State employment numbers (page 12) differ from federal EIA numbers.
Source: U.S. DOE - EIA; Coal lndustry Annual, 1993-1998, Coal Production, 1979-1992.
8 [www.eia.doe.gov/fueIcoal.html]

 I I
Employment/Productlvlty
Kentucky Coal Mine Employment, 1979-1998*
60  
WKY
A »    
9     999999999
é 40     ‘-»’  
U3 .Z`.`· · ,·_‘   ’_  _._
  3..    t           
V     ’»—» 1 ir ‘‘t—t    
    . ..   9                 
E   e    enet      
7 19  
0  
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997
*State employment numbers (page 12) differ from federal EIA numbers.
Mine Productivity, 1977-1998 (tons/miner/hour)
Eastern Western Kentucky Appalachian Interior Coal Western U.S. U.S.
Year Kentucky Kentucky Average Coal Field Field Coal Field Average
1977 1.71 2.22 1.86 1.36 2.42 5.85 1.82
1978 1.62 1.97 1.71 - - - 1.79
1979 1.54 1.94 1.64 1.33 2.21 5.47 1.81
1980 1.67 1.96 1.74 1.39 2.30 5.64 1.93
1981 1.76 2.12 1.84 1.51 2.35 6.15 2.10
1982 1.79 2.01 1.84 1.51 2.38 6.26 2.11
1983 1.98 2.43 2.08 1.75 2.69 7.60 2.50
1984 2.13 2.61 2.24 1.86 2.80 8.30 2.64
1985 2.13 2.57 2.23 1.90 2.81 8.55 2.74
1986 2.31 2.94 2.45 2.09 3.14 9.27 3.01
1987 2.59 2.98 2.69 2.30 3.33 10.42 3.30
1988 2.68 2.95 2.74 2.44 3.45 11.01 3.55
1989 2.58 3.62 2.78 2.49 3.84 11.63 3.70
1990 2.66 3.46 2.83 2.60 3.88 11.82 3.83
1991 2.90 3.37 3.01 2.74 3.98 12.42 4.09
1992 3.10 3.49 3.20 2.95 4.18 12.73 4.36
1993 3.18 3.49 3.25 3.00 4.43 13.53 4.70
1994 3.24 3.28 3.25 3.20 4.43 14.58 4.98
1995 3.47 3.97 3.57 3.32 4.97 15.68 5.38
1996 3.68 4.29 3.80 3.48 5.39 17.41 5.69
1997 3.83 4.38 3.94 3.76 5.54 17.75 6.04
1998 3.64 4.06 3.73 3.72 5.47 19.37 6.22
6 -   SUHHCB
2 -- - Average —
WBSFBTH § 2 I -rr-_ Underground  
K°”’”""V E 3  
Coal Mine § 2  
Productivity 5 1  """"'
2 1g7g-1ggg 0  
1979 1991 1983 1985 1997 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997
1; Surface
5 — — Average
‘ EZSFGTH 5 4 I 1 U¤¤¤=r9r¤¤¤d  
Kvnfvvkv i 3  
Coal Mine g 2  
Productivity § 1
‘ ‘ 7  
1979-1998 5  
o
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997
Source: U.S. Department of Energy - EIA; Coal lndustry Annual, 1993-1998, Coal Production, 1977-1992.
[www.eia.d0e.g0v/fuelcoalhtml] 9

 Safety and health standards are highly regulated by the federal Mine Safety and
Health Administration (MSHA) and the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals
(KDMM).
All surface and underground mines are inspected regularly for violations; larger
mines may have inspectors present daily.
Kentucky Gains in Productivity and Safety
The bar charts show overall trends in mine safety improvements by averaging
erratic yearly data.
5 - Year Average Fatalities per Year 5 - Year Average Fatalities per Year
(Underground) (Surface)
1955-59 @
1960-64 Q
1965-69  
1970-'I4 3;   ·5.‘ ria-: r._»   -_‘» 1·»;~.  
1975-79   ‘‘-—’ 1     ·‘‘c 1;;.   * 3   TZ;-5;e_;-I-·I·iI·»E
1980-84  .;
1985-89  
1990-94  
1995-98   ..-.    
0 10 20 30 40 50 00 0 2 4 e s 10
The underground bar chart (below) indicates steady safety improvements in
underground mines in Kentucky.
5 - Year Average Tons Per Fatality 5 - Year Average Tons Per Fatality
(Underground) (Surface)
1955-59  — __
1g6g-64   .—.—· —     ‘`‘- I ii; _‘,-_-‘ . -—-.——.   ¤.~‘~9   i: ~»‘:‘   ».f‘ ¥  
196569   ..».., .   .,;_;_»;.é(.(.(.  :
·|g']g-']4  ;€’f.:¢.»;i;·i€Ei£;"§.‘·· ·`i· '¤El·?z·9-»";°Z§§’;
   -°*.; .5.·  
1g3g-34   -9·»  
1g35-3g és »‘)f 2 `&i}¤· **11 ·-`_   Z.? “¤2,i..;..;-.;;=2 i-¢2t2=»2@;;
1gg(]-g4  ·  Y?Ek.ri ....~*‘ .52 °’Q°¥if}¥*’¥;f’§.¥§-.4.;;j-.s.i1·2.;iz .»r* * .2*
1995-98   ·¤59». 4 ·5r9~= rsfrrf   ....*9 ’‘4r: 4  
24211815129630 048t2i6202428
Source: Developed from Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals data.
Miners are highly skilled technicians who receive extensive training, both general
safety training and job-specific training.
Training for Surface Miners
New miners are required to have 24 hours of training plus pass a written exam be-
fore employment at a surface mine; this includes workers at prep plants, rail sidings,
and river terminals. The inexperienced miner must work a minimum of 45 days at a ,
surface mine before becoming a certified experienced miner. Afterthe initial training,
each surface mine employee is required to receive 8 hours of annual retraining.
To obtain a Surface Mine Foreman Certification, a miner must have 3 years of sur-
face mining experience achieved after age 18. A surface mine foreman obtaining ·
certification must specialize in either coal extraction or post mining activities (coal
preparation or coal handling activities). The applicant must have atleast 1 year of
practical experience in the specialty class he designates.
To become a blaster in a surface coal mine, a 30 hour class plus passing a license
test and a certification test is required. Two years of work experience under a
licensed blaster is also required.
1 0 [www.caer.uky.edu/kdmm/homepage.htm] ·

 Safety and Training
Training for
UIid8fyl'0UI1d MIIIBTS Undergr0un(di Minqggigssifications
une,
New miners are required to  
liiiiiii ei miiiimiim iii 40 ii¤_iiiS EEEZZEZZETF li‘ii‘r‘f.Z'i»E’.§ili2i SQLEZLZ
of training plus pass a written  
gxgm prigr ig Starting Wgrk as 5Yrs. E|ectricallnspector* * 21
an inexperienced miner.   i'i;*;‘iif;‘fiYM'"€ Safety A"**'yS‘ i 
EI ri ri r t * ioo
An inexperienced miner must Bc ma nsmcm
Work 3 minimum Of   days in SYFS. iAsst. Milli': l:0f€m3f1* 3,082
an underground mine before "S"“°“” 694
becoming a certified 1Y. EI r‘ rw k * acct
experienced miner. r   Br 2,851
Horsting Engineer* 1,234
A mimimutm _OT 16_ hours _Ofd t 45 days Mine Rescue 293
3|'ll"lU3. TB FHIHIHQ IS TBQUITG O Shot Firer* 13,691
maintain the miner certification Ceiiiiiiid l"iii€iS 32·‘i‘ii
and continue to work at an Si,iiCiiiLii-iAiNiNG
underground mine. _ _ _
MET - Mine Emergency Techmcianror
A riewiy riired mirigr (experi- Emiiiiijmergency Medical Technician  
enced or inexperienced) must  
|‘9()(-3|\/9 8 hours Of ming 5|i9- *NOTE: Tests are required in addition to years of experience.
Si38ClTlC tl'&llill"lQ. Source: Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals (KDMM).
To receive an Underground
Mine Foreman Certification, a miner must have 5 years practical underground coal
mining experience gained after age 18, with atleast 1 year on an active working
section of a coal mine. An Assistant Mine Foreman Certification requires 3 years
practical experience.
Each miner receives new work assignment training (Task Training) to become
certified for each new job classification.
To maintain certification and qualifications, satisfactory completion of an electrical
retraining class for certified electrical workers is required annually.
Only certified shot-firers can detonate explosives
within a mine.
MET/EMT — A Mine Emergency Technician (MET) or
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is required at +
r every coal mine on every shift with a work force of up `
to 50 employees, with an additional MET or EMT
employed for every additional 50 employees, or any
portion thereof.
METs are certified thru training and examination as administered by KDMM under
re