Underground operation near Rock Springs was last worked in '94
Posted: Saturday, September 18, 2004 12:00 am
ROCK SPRINGS (AP) - An underground coal mine is ready to reopen after a decade of dormancy.
The Stansbury Mine has operated on and off under several owners since the Transcontinental Railroad was built through Sweetwater County in the 1860s. It was last worked in 1994.
Randall Peterson, managing director of New Stansbury Coal Co. LLC, said Thursday the company had just completed the purchase from Rock Springs Royalty Co. LLC.
The mine, about seven miles north of Rock Springs, will employ about 113 people in hourly and manufacturing positions, Peterson said.
"This has been in the works for some time now," he said. "It has involved permit renewal, permit transfer, short- and long-term capital financing. Now, we are finally ready to move forward with our plans."
The acquisition includes the mine assets, a coal lease, a surface-use license, mining permits and all other necessary coal-mining permits.
"The mine will be renamed the Little Patriot Mine in honor of the children that have been killed in all the terrorist incidents in this country and around the world," Peterson said.
In the days of the coal locomotive, Stansbury Coal was well-known for reliable high-heat, low-ash, steam coal for the railroads. It is not typical of most Wyoming coals, in that its moisture levels are much lower and hence its British thermal unit rating is much higher.
The projected life span of the Little Patriot Mine is more than 20 years.
The site has a dedicated Union Pacific spur and is centrally located for transport to markets east and west: eastward to the Illinois basin, where it is needed for its low-ash fusion temperature characteristics in plants with old style boilers; and westward to newer plants, where its high-heat, low-ash and low-moisture values make it ideal for blending with Powder River Basin coal.
"We are more enthusiastic than ever about the project, especially now, with the high current coal prices and energy demand," Peterson said.
Although the oil and natural gas industries are booming, those jobs are only temporary, he said. The coal mine will have jobs as long as there is coal to produce, he added.