West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training

WEST VIRGINIA COAL MINING FACTS

The West Virginia Mining Industry is critical to the economy and well being of the state and  the nation.  We have assembled the following WEST VIRGINIA COAL MINING FACTS from various sources. Refer to the list of sources at the bottom of this page and from our sources page.  Also there are hyperlinks within the text so the reader may navigate to related pages within our website. 

• Coal was first discovered in what is now West Virginia in 1742 by John Peter Salley in what is now Boone County.
• Coal occurs in  53  of West Virginia's 55 Counties   only Jefferson and Hardy in the eastern panhandle have no coal.
• Forty-three counties have reserves of minable (economic) coal. WV Coal Resource Table
• There are 117 named coal seams in West Virginia.
• Sixty-five seams are considered minable.
• In 2006 coal was produced from 54 different coal seams in West Virginia.
• The Pittsburgh coal seam accounted for nearly 34 million tons of production in 2006.
• West Virginia has 4% of all coal reserves.

• Annually, 26 West Virginia Counties produce coal.
• McDowell County has produced more coal than any other county in West Virginia.
• The West Virginia Coal Industry provides about 40,000 direct jobs in WV, including miners, mine contractors, coal preparation plant employees and mine supply companies.
• Underground mines in 2005 produced 98 million tons with 43 million tons from longwall mining.
• Surface mines account for over 55 million tons of production each year.
• In 2006 Surface mines produced 66 million tons with over 42 million from Mountain Top mining.
• In 2006 West Virginia mines produced over 158 million tons.
• West Virginia produces about 15 % of total coal production in the U.S.
• West Virginia leads the nation in underground coal production.
• West Virginia leads the nation in coal exports with over 50 million tons shipped to 23 countries.
• West Virginia Coal accounts for about 50%  of US coal exports.

• Taxes paid by the coal industry and by utility companies that make electricity using West Virginia coal account for two-thirds, or over 60% of business taxes paid in our state.
• The coal industry pays approximately $70 million in property taxes annually.
• The Coal Severance Tax adds approximately $214 million into West Virginia's economy.
• Twenty-four million dollars of coal severance taxes collected each year goes directly into the Infrastructure Bond Fund.
• All 55 counties, even the non-coal producing counties receive Coal Severance Tax funds.
• The coal industry payroll is nearly $2 billion per year.
• Coal is responsible for more than $3.5 billion annually in the gross state product.

• More than half of the nation's electricity is generated from coal.
• In West Virginia 99% of the generated electricity comes from coal.
• There are currently 14 coal fired electric generating facilities located in West Virginia.
• Coal provides the majority of electric power in 32 states.
• In the United States, the demand for electricity has increased 136% since 1970.
• National demand for electricity is expected to increase by another 24 percent by 2020.
• Emissions from power plants have been reduced by 1/3 over the past 30 years.
• It has been estimated that 13 percent of the national power requirement is taken up by activities associated with computers and information technology.

• Since 1983, yearly fatal accidents have totaled less than 20 per year, the only exceptions being 1991 with 22 fatal accidents and 2006 with 25.
• The last year mining deaths exceeded 100 was in 1968 when 152 miners lost their lives in West Virginia mines.
• Lost-time injuries totaled about 1,039 in the last reporting year (2006).
• Over 5,800 inspections of WV mining operations were conducted by WVMHS&T inspection personnel in 2006.
• Over 12,000 violations were written by WVMHS&T inspectors 2006.
• Over 135,000 safety contacts were made by WVMHS&T staff, with more than 29,000 hours devoted to training and safety issues in 2006.
• Nearly 18,000 certifications in 29 different classifications were issued by WVMHS&T safety instructors in 2006.
• Mountaineer Guardian Safety Awards were presented to 23 West Virginia mining operations during 2006 for outstanding mine safety achievements.

  ---

Note:
The information obtained from these documents is accurate to the best of our knowledge and is not a substitute for current mining laws or regulations.  The State of West Virginia is not liable for any damages resulting from any information that unintentionally may be inaccurate or untimely.

Sources:

West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey, Web Page
West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training  Annual Reports.
Green Lands published by the West Virginia Mining and Reclamation Association
Coal Forum News published by The Coal Forum
West Virginia Coal Bell published by the West Virginia Mining and Reclamation Association
Sunday Gazette-Mail
National Mining Association
Impact The Importance of Coal to West Virginia published by the West Virginia Mining and Reclamation Association
 

Date this page was last updated:  07/09/2008

[MHS&T Homepage]  [ Publications Page]  [ Frequently Asked Questions]