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LAFOLLETTE PRESS Thursday, October 17, 2013

DARK AS A DUNGEON
Its just another day at the office for 197 men at Kopper Glo Fuel

ts a normal day at the Kopper Glo mining

operation in Clairfield. Coal is continuously
pouring off a belt and into a massive pile that is
then scooped into dump trucks and taken back
down the mountain to the tipple.
The men inside are doing what they do every day.
Its work some of them have done in various mines
for the past four decades.
Arguably, this is the best mine to work in of the
areas 14 rescue miners, 10 of them are employed at
Kopper Glo.
At the beginning of each shift, the men pile onto a
flat cart that sits nearly on the ground and they ride
deep into the mountain to begin the days work. At
the surface of the mine, the opening seems huge
approximately 15 feet wide and 7 feet tall. It quickly
narrows closer to 10 feet wide by 4 feet tall. The
opening isnt the only thing that lessens the temperature drops in the mine. Deep in the mountain,
the temperature stays a constant 65 degrees.
The railcar does not carry miners all the way into
the mine. Eventually, theres a transfer onto another
vehicle that carries them to where the work is happening.
Its nothing like it was 15 or 20 years ago, said
mine manager Ron Helton. He has been in the business since 1974 and has worked with Kopper Glo for
the past several years.
Gone are the days of miners with pick axes and
buckets. There are no more mule carts or days spent
lying flat on your back with coal falling into your
face. Machines have revolutionized the way coal is
mined making it faster and safer.
Theres already a plan for where the men will
make their next cut of coal, and operations flow in
a smooth cycle each shift. The continuous mining
machine comes through and cuts straight into the
seam. Coal is pulled onto a conveyer belt that will
eventually take it outside. Water is sprayed to prevent dust from overtaking the area.
After the continuous miner machine moves, a
bolt machine comes through to secure the ceiling. A
hole is drilled into the ceiling and the bolt which
resembled rebar for concrete is glued into the
ceiling to brace it. The shortest bolt used at Kopper
Glo is a 4-foot bolt. Some sections of the mine are
secured with 8-foot bolts.
We exceed what our plans ask us to do, Helton
said.
After the ceiling is secured, another machine
is brought in to scoop the leftover coal that didnt
make it onto the belt. The area is then rock dusted.
Rock dusting is the process of using powdered
limestone to coat the surfaces in the mine. The
walls, floor and ceiling are covered in a fine powder. In the event there is a spark, the limestone will

Wayne Ward stands near the blade of a

continuous mining machine at Kopper Glo in
Clairfield.

Joe Lowe prepares the roof to be bolted at the Kopper Glo mine in Clairfield.
prevent the coal dust from igniting and causing an
explosion.
Helton describes the process as a well-oiled
machine.
Everythings got a place to be and when to be
there, he said.
During the entire process, the mine foreman is
monitoring air quality to ensure its safe for his men
to continue.
Its rare for air quality to become poor in todays
mines, fresh air is constantly circulated, and air is
strategically directed through the mine to ensure
that dust levels remain low.
Despite working 1.5 miles into a mountain and
500 feet underground, the workers, dont give it a
second thought. They say its safer to be underground than above.
Id rather be in here than driving around, Helton
said.
They pay little mind to the tons of rock surrounding them.
You respect it, but you dont think about it all the
time, he said.
Kopper Glo is more than just a deep mine, according to James Thacker, manager of surface operations.
Kopper Glo only does re-mining, which is returning to the site of an old mine that operated before
there were regulations. Those sites can often have
water quality and safety issues. Kopper Glo cleans
the site up and makes it safe to continue mining.
When the mine is no longer producing coal, the
company will then work to reclaim the area by
planting trees and making it safe and habitable for
natural wildlife.
We have won several reclamation awards, he
said.
In addition to planting trees, its more than
just pines they introduce hard woods are also
planted.
Its trying to go back to a hard wood forest,
Thacker said.
Additionally, the company works to support
Clairfield Elementary School, which is where many
of the employees children attend school.
When the company found out that the school was
lacking computers, they partnered with Stowers
Caterpillar in Knoxville to provide new computers
to the school.
Each Christmas, the children at the school are

A scoop operater prepares to move coal leftover after the continuous mining machine has
cut into the seam.

provided with Christmas presents from Kopper Glo

and its business partners.
It just tickled them to death, he said.
On Arbor Day, the children are provided with
American Chesnut trees to plant, and Kopper
Glo helps maintain the grounds at the facility.
The school in Clairfield is the most remote in tje
Claiborne County District and in one of the poorest
areas.
In fact, the Clairfield school is the only Claiborne
County school that cant be reached via Clairborne
County students who dont live nearby must
travel through Campbell County or Bell County, Ky.,
to reach the K-8 school.
The company also works to take care of its
employees, Thacker said. For example, uniforms
and their cleanings are provided to the men in
order to save wear and tear on personal washing
machines. Parts of the Kopper Glo property are also
open for employees and their families to enjoy four
wheeling and other outdoor activities.

Miners look on as as the continuous miner machine moves into the rock and extracts coal. The multi-million dollar machine extracts the coal and
deposits it onto a belt to be taken to the surface.