Taking in the Black Mountain view

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DECEMBER 2011

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ROOM & PILLAR

The view from Black MountainBlack Mountain Resources’ Cloverlick No. 3 mine, at just four years of age, has seen much in the way of change during that short period. However, like its seven sister mines in southeastern Kentucky, it hasn’t skipped a beat and already has the processes, worker dedication and safety achievements to rival those of a long-established operation. By Donna Caudill

COVER STORY

The Cloverlick No. 3 operation employs 72 workers

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Sitting among the picturesque mountains of eastern Kentucky near Cumberland, the 72-worker Black Mountain Resources’ Cloverlick No. 3 room and pillar mine

just celebrated another anniversary since beginning production in October 2009. Development, which began in January 2009, was performed by then-owner Cumberland Resources, which sold its portfolio to Massey Energy in 2010.

At about the same time Cloverlick No. 3 was opening its doors, Alpha Natural Resources was busy integrating the people and operations of newly acquired fellow Appalachian producer Foundation Coal.

It would soon announce another major growth move with its takeover of Massey Energy, a deal which closed this past June.

While some operations may have tripped over the operational and structural hiccups of this rapid change, the workers of Black Mountain Resources and its Cloverlick operation have only reinforced their skill while settling into their pace as a productive new operation.

Each of the mine’s two current active sections are easy to reach, with a quick 10-minute ride on one of the fleet of Damascus 8D and 10D diesel mantrips. One of the trio of 14CM15 continuous miners chewing away

from the Owl seam is a wethead, and Joy 10-32 AA shuttlecars keep things moving as crews work under as much as 1800 feet of cover.

The Owl seam of Cloverlick ranges between 42in and 44in, cutting height is 54in and the roof is made up primarily of slate.

According to general manager Curtis Scott, roof control is not a significant issue for the operation and thus it employs a typical 4ft by 4ft spacing with 60in fully grouted grade 5 rebar bolts using one of the mine’s Fletcher Roof Ranger II double boom bolters equipped with ATRS.

Gas is not a notable problem at Cloverlick, but to ensure proper ventilation throughout the mine the ventilation has been designed with a 6ft Buffalo blowing fan.

The biggest issue the mine does face, management noted, is geological changes, including areas where sandstone extends down against the coal. Workers and

management rely on core data and precise mapping to manage this concern.

Despite being in the early years of its life, Cloverlick already has a hardy and smooth-running conveying infrastructure, with the drives and structure built by Bucyrus, belt provided by Goodyear and cleaners by Richwood. Running at 1600 tons per hour, the mainline belts measure 60in and receive coal from the 42in panel belts, which operate at 800tph.

Scott did not indicate any obstacles to the mine’s production capacity stemming from the conveyor system.

Once brought to the surface the output is stockpiled until it is trucked three miles to the neighboring Cave Branch preparation facility, a complex which services all eight Black Mountain Resources operations. The steam product, measuring 0.73% sulfur and coming in at 12,900 BTU, is separated by mine but the plant has on-site blending capabilities that can be performed before shipping to its next destination by railroad.

While it is easily noticeable visiting Cloverlick No. 3 that this up-and-coming operation has much young blood running through it, it is just as evident that these new miners are being educated well, in part by the healthy mix of experienced miners also incorporated into the workforce. The mission for mining and mine rescue (see “A tale of two rescue teams”) are much

Cloverlick No. 3

• Location: Cumberland, Kentucky

• Operator: Black Mountain Resources

• Controller: Alpha Natural Resources

• Mining started: October 2009

• Mining type: Room and pillar

• Seam name, height: Owl, 42-44in

• Fleet includes: 3 Joy 14CM15 continuous miners, including 1 wethead, Fletcher bolters, Damascus diesel personnel carriers

• No of employees: 72

Despite being in the early years of its life, Cloverlick already has a hardy and smooth-running conveying infrastructure

The Owl seam of Cloverlick ranges between 42in and 44in

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the same, according to safety and mine rescue coordinator Ronnie Biggerstaff. “It is important to maintain experienced members while training the new ones to help provide the leadership,” he said.

The mine’s staff, 65 of which are exclusively underground, works three shifts of nine hours each, with the owl shift devoted to preventive maintenance. Oil sampling is also performed on a regular basis.

Safety is, without a doubt, the top priority at Cloverlick, and that fact is not lost on anyone setting foot onsite; in fact, step into

the surface control room and there is never a lack of staff circled around the operation’s Pyotte Boone mine monitoring system and the digital interface of the Strata CommTrac wireless communications and tracking system.

Careful attention is paid to individuals’ locations, incoming messages and special notations of mining conditions on the node-based system, which Scott and other management commented has been an extremely positive addition to the way Cloverlick operates. Together with its mine

A tale of two rescue teamsMany operations are proud to say that they have a mine rescue team, but only one can say that they earned national champion status in 2011 – out of more than 100 teams that competed from operations across the United States.

Black Mountain Resources’ eight-member Blue Team and seven-member White Team were among the 102 competing crews at the 2011 national Mine Rescue Competition in Columbus, Ohio, in early October, with the White Team taking top honors and the Blue team finishing a very respectable sixth.

named for the colors of the their beloved University of Kentucky sports teams, the teams follow a strict preparation schedule that includes intensive twice-monthly practice sessions throughout the year, plus additional sessions prior to competitions to polish their skills and even at-home work. Their benchmen, skilled in their own right and award-winning as well, also put their talents to the test prior to and during contest events.

The national honors are not the first for either Black Mountain Resources team: in fact both – as well as their benchmen and pre-shift experts – were involved in five contests in 2011 prior to this year’s national event, which is held biennially across the US.

Some of those include the State of Tennessee contest in September 2011, where Black Mountain White took first place among 28 contenders and White and Blue placed first and third, respectively, in the first day’s mine rescue event, as well as the KEMI Mine Rescue contests in July where Black Mountain White earned third place and Black Mountain Blue earned fourth.

according to safety and mine rescue coordinator Ronnie Biggerstaff, the company follows the philosophy that keeping a mix of experienced individuals with newer crew

members benefits not only those members strengthening their skills, but also keeps those workers with years of experience sharp and ready for an emergency, whether hypothetical or real.

While many mine rescue teams wrestle with the issue of keeping these experienced miners on the line underground versus the heavy time commitment of preparation for and participation in mine rescue competitions, Biggerstaff said they have the best of both worlds.

The Blue team has infused three members with more than 15 years experience with the remaining members, who all have four years or less, and the White team – made up primarily of men with less than four years of experience – is led by a six-year veteran captain.

“Black Mountain has provided me with key employees at our operations,” he said.

“This has enabled us to become very competitive in only our fourth season of

mine rescue participation. These individuals have progressed at a rapid rate in gaining knowledge in mine rescue and have also taken a lot of this knowledge back to their mines to better their operations.”

a major key to the teams’ success is the Black Mountain Resources training facility, a 4900-square-foot facility located central to all eight company mines which it utilizes for realistic mine rescue training and practice sessions.

Biggerstaff said that having the facility, a former supply warehouse remodeled in 2009, allows it the best experience for crew members because of the ability to provide different scenario problems and keep team members in the “on season” throughout the year.

The facility is also vital to mine safety efforts at the BMR operations, as it is used for annual retraining, electrical and foreman training, smoke exercise and even lifeline and refuge shelter instruction.

The Black Mountain Resources White and Blue teams at the 2011 National Mine Rescue Competition in Columbus, Ohio

The room and pillar operation has two active sections

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rescue successes, the actions of every one of the mine’s workers reflects a true and complete dedication to sending man and woman home at the end of every day.

“[It’s about] doing it right the first time,” Scott said. “It is not very often we have the opportunity to start a new mine so we wanted to make sure it was done right.”

With several million tons remaining at its corner of the Owl seam, the workforce of Cloverlick No. 3 is off to a strong start with many years still to go. For now, production continues to be on target, with a 2011 budget of approximately 400,000t.

Running Right

While the Black Mountain Resources mines are just a handful of months into their new distinction of being part of the Alpha Natural Resources family, integration by the mine’s workers into the company-wide Running

Right safety culture has already begun. While under the Cumberland Resources umbrella workers were a part of the Safeway program, though management noted that their ownership by Massey did not extend long enough for the workforce to fully engage that producer’s safety initiatives.

Now, with a mission that focuses around the idea that safety begins which each and every person, it seems a natural extension that Cloverlick No. 3’s employees will be able to step right into pace and be Running Right.

The process begins with the observation of a safety practice which, positive or negative, is submitted via an anonymous card. An employee involvement group then reviews the recorded observations and either takes appropriate immediate action or develops an action plan for improvement. This group, made up of various levels of employees at each mine site, also takes part in discussions to determine lessons learned from detrimental work behaviors and ways to share best practices with others.

“Every person has a responsibility not only for his or her own safety, but also the safety of those around them,” Alpha said.

“Together, we can achieve our goal of a total health and safety culture. Each employee … should expect a safe and healthy workplace, and all of us have a moral and ethical responsibility to do our part to provide such a workplace.”

As Running Right picks up traction, Alpha officials said the incoming results are reflecting a positive trend. Most of the newly acquired mines are approaching the same monthly run rate for observations as legacy Alpha mines and total reportable incident rates have begun to decline.

Cloverlick’s steam product measures 0.73 sulfur and 12,900 BTU

Mining at the Cloverlick No. 3 mine began in October 2009

With several million tons remaining at its corner of the Owl seam, the workforce of Cloverlick No. 3 is off to a strong start with many years still to go.