How much do you know about coal mining? The United States of America is one of the safest places in the world to mine coal. While Chinese miners die in record numbers each day, U.S. miners enjoy a better rate of survivability. We are experts in coal safety.
Despite this record, there are ways that we could improve our own record in coal safety. Ever heard of retreat mining? Here in the U.S., we use a method of mining referred to as room and pillar. This begins as any other form; by driving a straight shaft into the mountain. In longwall mining, miners drive the straight shaft into the hill, then driving shafts off of the main shaft into the coal seam. Secondary shafts are driven off of the these shafts to pull the most coal possible from the main shaft. This form of mining is the most popular in Europe, as it is the safest.
Here in the States, we use a method of mining referred to as room and pillar. When we drive the main shaft, we drive two shafts off of it instead of one. These two shafts are driven together in order to create a box inside the mountain. We then mine out this box, with the exception of support pillars, to get the largest coal yields in the world.
Greedy coal operators have found a way to expand these already abundant yields for the sake of their profit margins. Ever heard of retreat mining? This is a process in room and pillar technique where the miner takes out the pillar left behind from room and pillar technique. By removing the pillar, the miner ensures that the roof of the mine will collapse. While room and pillar techniques will guarantee a yield of up to seventy percent, room and pillar with retreat will guarantee yields of up to one hundred percent of estimated seam size.
The problem with retreat mining is the danger to the worker. MSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, says that the most dangerous type of accident in an underground mine is a roof collapse. This type of accident is the most dangerous to miners, leading to death and injury more than any other type of accident.
Even the coal industry has investigated the dangers of retreat mining, hiring the engineering firm of Marshall Miller and Associates to scientifically evaluate the risks of retreat mining. While the conclusion of the coal company financed report agreed that retreat mining was dangerous, it did not call for any stop to the dropping of support pillars that keep mine roofs off the heads of our miners.
Remember the recent mine tragedy in Utah? While mine ownership claimed that naturally occurring earthquakes lead to the cave in, evidence leads inspectors to believe that the collapse was caused by retreat mining.
While I realize that coal extraction is an essential industry for a country that desperately needs to develop a policy of energy independence, we need to begin to ask the question: How many lives are we willing to sacrifice? Coal isn't worth much more than thirty-some odd dollars a ton. While retreat mining does create larger yields, we can already guarantee yields of up to 70% of a coal seam's tonnage through judicious use of room techniques. Should we risk the lives of our skilled, essential tradesmen for the remaining 30%?
Do the math. In a coal seam of, let's say... 1,000 tons of coal, 700 tons can be extracted with standard room creation & excavation. The remaining 300 tons will make up the roof of the room & the pillars that support the weight of the mountain. By removing these pillars, you will run the risk of collapsing the entire mountain. For 300 tons of coal, worth about $9,000.00. Would you die for nine grand?
It has been said that coal legislation is often written in the blood of dead miners. If this is true, the inkwell is surely full. It has been said that dead miners are the only lobbyists for coal safety. If this is true, the statehouses are full of their spirits. When will these needless deaths be brought to an end?
