This is a text-only version of the document "OSMRE Coal Mining Summary for Texas, 1997". To see the original version of the document click here.

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Texas
Production tonnage 1978-1997
U.S. Total Texas coal production

The largest producer of Lignite coal
Lignite constitutes approximately 97 percent of the near-surface coal resources in Texas. The most significant bituminous resources are in the north-central and southern parts of the state. Coal reserves in Texas are estimated to be 13.7 billion tons, about three percent of U.S. coal reserves. The average thickness of coal seams mined in Texas is approximately eight feet. Since 1977, Texas has produced both bituminous and lignite coal, all from surface mines. During this period, the production of Texas lignite has increased more than 4.5 times, with almost all output used locally to feed mine-mouth power plants. Cannel coal (a variety of bituminous coal used by the cement, lime, and aggregate industries and exported to Europe for fireplace coal and blending with low-quality European coals for electric power generation) is also produced in the state. Texas gained primacy when its regulatory program was conditionally approved February 16, 1980; the program was fully approved June 18, 1980. The state’s Abandoned Mine Lands program was approved June 23, 1980. Texas does not have an emergency abandoned mine land program, so the Office of Surface Mining completes all emergency projects. Since passage of the Surface Mining Law, five emergencies have been completed in Texas. Over $13 million has also been spent reclaiming high-priority problems, including $9.6 million on 6 dangerous piles and embankment problems and $3.5 million on 9 highwall problems. An additional $2.3 million has been spent reclaiming environmental problems caused by abandoned mines. Reclamation of the remaining problems caused by abandoned coal mines is estimated to cost approximately $120,000.

100

10

80

coal production10
8

1978 Amount Percent U.S. Total Amount

1997
Millions of dollars

60

Percent U.S. Total

1978-1997 Rank

6

4

Tons Produced Surface Underground Lignite Total

40

14,520 0 12,365,073 12,379,593

0.005% 0% 55.1% 2.9%

434,736 0 52,606,896 53,041,632

0.07% 0% 61.3% 4.8%

23 0 1 6

20

2

Number of Producing Mines 1 Surface (bituminous coal) 0 Underground 6 Lignite (surface) 7 Total Mine Production Average
Interim Program Permanent Program 1,768,513 4 1 2

0.03% 0% 0.3% 0.1%

3 0 16 19

0.1% 0% 66.6% 0.4%

22 0 1 15 Amount paid into the AML Fund11 $ 88,899,807 Amount received for reclamation12 $ 31,759,990 State share balance in the Fund13 $ 13,750,566 Federal abandoned mine projects14 $ 289,849 RAMP abandoned mine projects15 $ 1,297,679
0

2,488.7% 8.1% 0.4% 0.03%

2,791,664 10 0 9

1,060.8% 4.8% 0% 0.2%

0

Number of new permits 1978-1997

>1,000,000 tons 300,000-1,000,000 tons <300,000 tons

62

Active mining and reclamation16
1978 Number of New Permits Surface Mining Underground Mining Other Acreage Permitted Surface Mining Underground Mining Other 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 Total

2 0 0

5 0 0

2 0 0

8 0 1

4 0 0

2 0 1

1 0 0

0 0 1

4 0 0

1 0 0

3 0 0

4 0 0

1 0 1

1 0 0

2 0 0

2 0 0

1 0 0

3 0 0

1 0 0

0 0 0

47 0 4

7,622 16,167 5,532 44,901 46,033 6,685 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 75 0 0 0 428

55 0 0

0 12,995 0 150 0 0

84 3,619 3,890 13,350 12,390 7,090 2,980 11,309 14,617 13,929 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 223,248 0 0 0 653

Acreage of Bond Release Interim Prog. (final) Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Inspections Complete Partial Oversight Citations Issued NOV’s CO’s

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

33 0 0 0

0 0 0 428

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1

0 465 823

0

0

0

0 0 182 401

0 0 925

0

0

0

33 22,458 19,551 45,766

388 1,023 3,552 1,064 729 3,828 1,053 735 722 150

0 1,835 3,587 11,009 0 2,567 10,727 0 1,002 1,933

0 38,646

20 6 0

24 32 0

14 8 NA

95 251 NA

110 363 NA

75 244 26

160 206 18

223 187 37

209 189 NA

186 187 26

154 203 25

157 243 15

153 294 19

134 330 13

139 335 15

92 367 20

90 339 13

86 242 12

100 207 13

22 95 19

2,243 4,328 271

0 0

3 0

2 0

0 11

0 2

0 10

76 1

31 0

10 0

13 0

17 0

12 0

6 0

11 1

23 3

39 0

28 0

12 0

24 0

14 0

321 28

Abandoned coal mine reclamation 1977-199717
OSM Emergency Reclaimed Problems State Emergency Non-Emergency Remaining Problems Number Estimated Cost Priority 1 & 2 (Protection of Public Health, Safety, and General Welfare) and Emergency Projects 0 0 0 Clogged Streams (miles) 0 0 0 Clogged Stream Lands (acres) 0 0 34,015.0 Highwalls (feet) 0 0 0 Impoundments (count) 0 0 1,359.0 Piles & Embankments (acres) 0 0 0 Slides (acres) 0 0 0 Gases (count) 0 0 0 Equipment & Facilities (count) 0 0 3.0 Water Bodies (count) 0 0 0 Industrial Waste (acres) 0 0 45.0 Portals (count) 0 0 0 Polluted Water: Agriculture & Industrial (count) 0 0 0 Polluted Water: Human Consumption (count) 0.6 0 6.0 Subsidence (acres) 0 0 0 Surface Burning (acres) 0 0 0 Underground Mine Fires (acres) 0 0 197.0 Vertical Openings (count) Total Priority 3 (Environmental Restoration) Bench (acres) Industrial Waste (acres) Equipment & Facilities (count) Gob (acres) Highwall (feet) Haul Road (acres) Mine Opening (count) Pit (acres) Spoil Area (acres) Slurry (acres) Slump (acres) Water (gallons/minute) Total
0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 120,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $ 120,000

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 8.0 0 0 0 0 348.0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

$0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $0

63