As coal prices rise, mining what once was too costly becomes a rapidly growing business

[Modelcar]

...Interesting process.

[Anonymous]

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

"CENTURY, W.Va. -- He drove north on Route 20 in his black quad-cab truck, perfect for men who end their workdays with coal caked to their faces. His XM radio played classic rock, almost inaudibly.

"David Bundy, 49, waved his arm to the east, where near-barren benches, sites of old mining jobs, drew lines in the mountain greenery.

"All these tops have already been augered," Mr. Bundy said as he steered. "They thought this whole area was done. Surface mining was almost extinct. It's just the technology that has opened up new reserves."

"Mr. Bundy, vice president of Contour Mining Corp., neared one of those spots, 10 miles north of Buckhannon, where his four-man crew began work May 1. Using a $6 million machine to chase ever-decreasing remains, the crew could reach at least 1,000 feet into the Pittsburgh seam for coal once thought inaccessible. "

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06176/701025-357.stm

Dave