Samples Mine

Samples Mine is a West Virginia mine owned by Patriot Coal and operated by its subsidiary Catenary Coal. In August 2009, Patriot Coal announced it will close the mine, eliminating 314 jobs as of October 5, 2009. Patriot said it has had to cut employment and production in response to a downturn in demand.

The Samples Mine is part of the Paint Creek mining complex, which consists of one surface mine (Samples) and one underground mine, Winchester Mine, which utilizes the continuous mining method.

Mine Data

 * MSHA ID:	4607178
 * Operator:	Catenary Coal Company LLC
 * Controller:	Patriot Coal
 * Union:
 * County:	Kanawha
 * State:	WV
 * Latitude:	38.06
 * Longitude:	-81.48
 * 2007 Production (short tons):	3,027,334
 * Coal Type:	Bituminous
 * Mining Method:	Surface
 * Mine Status:	Active
 * Average No. of Employees:	 267

Regulatory Issues
On January 18, 2012, Patriot Coal agreed to build and operate new treatment systems for 43 water discharge outfalls on 10 different permits in West Virginia. The new settlement, intended to resolve claims under the Clean Water Act relating to Patriot’s mining activities in West Virginia, covers water pollution outlets at Patriot’s Hobet 21 Surface Mine complex along the Boone-Lincoln border, the Samples Mine complex in the Cabin Creek area, and the Ruffner Mine in Logan County. The deal also requires Patriot to drop any future plans for mining a major permit at its Jupiter-Callisto Mine in Boone County, West Virginia, and to pay $7.5 million in civil penalties, to be allocated between the federal government and the West Virginia Land Trust for land preservation projects within the Kanawha River and Guyandotte River watersheds.

Related SourceWatch articles
To see a listing of coal mines in a particular state, click on the map:
 * U.S. coal politics
 * Coal and jobs in the United States
 * Coal phase-out
 * Headquarters of U.S. coal mining companies
 * Global list of coal mining companies and agencies
 * West Virginia and coal
 * Proposed coal mines
 * Coal