SD26 - The Effects of Longwall Mining
Executive Summary: The 1988 General Assembly adopted SJR 59, which created a joint subcommittee to study the effects of longwall mining. Specifically, the subcommittee was charged with studying "the effects of longwall mining, its beneficial effects such as improved worker safety and increased productivity, its contributions to the Commonwealth's economy, potential adverse effects, and such related matters as the joint subcommittee may deem appropriate." As part of its study, the joint subcommittee toured an active longwall mining operation in Buchanan County. In addition, the subcommittee received briefings from representatives of the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), reviewed numerous published articles and judicial decisions, conducted site visits in Buchanan and Dickenson Counties to observe the effects of longwall mining on land, surface structures and water resources and held public hearings in those jurisdictions. The predominant method of underground mining in the Commonwealth has always been room and pillar mining, in which up to fifty percent of the coal in a particular seam may be left in blocks or pillars to support the roof. Sometimes a secondary extraction is practiced where these blocks or pillars are partially or completely removed. Modern longwall mining methods were imported from England and were first used in the Commonwealth in the 1960's. In that method, through the use of sophisticated mechanical equipment, long, parallel "entries" are developed on the sides of a solid block or "panel" of coal, which may be 400 to 850 feet in width and approximately 5,000 feet in length. Temporary roof support provided by hydraulic jacks permits the total removal of coal from the panel. The jacks advance as a "plough" or cutting equipment slices the coal from the face of the seam. The roof falls into the space behind the jacks when they are moved. |
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