Kentucky Coal Facts - 13th Edition - Department for Energy ...

History of Coal in Kentucky
1947 Kentucky Coal Association founded.
1956 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
Railroads begin converting from coal to diesel fuel.
Roof bolting introduced in underground mines.
1960 Railroads begin using unit coal trains.
First longwall mining with powered roof supports.
Kentucky Surface Mining Legislation.
1966 National Historic Preservation Act.
C&O Railroad to John's Creek constructed - Pike County.
1969 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act.
1970 Federal Clean Air Act.
1972 Kentucky Coal Severance Tax established.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Kentucky becomes the leading coal production state.
1973 Endangered Species Act.
OPEC oil embargo: Coal production and prices rise.
1976 Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act.
1977 Federal Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act.
1980 Congress enacts the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) Study,
a 10 year research program, which invested $550 million for the study of "acid rain."
Industries spend over $1 billion on Air Pollution Control Equipment during 1980.
1983 U.S. Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program established $2.5 billion in Federal matching funds
committed to assist the private sector to develop and demonstrate improved clean coal technologies.
1988 Kentucky Supreme Court rules that the unmined minerals tax on coal is subject to the same state and
local property tax rates as other real estate.
TVA 160-MW Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Unit on line.
Wyoming displaces Kentucky as the leading coal producing state.
1990 Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
U.S. coal production exceeds 1 billion tons.
1992 U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992.
1993 CEDAR, Inc. (Coal Education Development and Resources) formed in Pike County.
1994 Western Kentucky CEDAR, Inc. was formed in Webster and Union Counties.
1996 Kentucky Coal Education (www.coaleducation.org) established.
Workers' Comp Reform Laws are passed in Kentucky.
1997 The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission votes to reintroduce elk into 14 Eastern Kentucky counties
on post-mined lands, citing mountaintop mining areas and old mine benches as good elk habitat.
Kentucky has the only large free-ranging elk herd in the eastern United States.
1998 Federal synthetic fuel tax credit for use of coal fines begins.
2005 East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s Gilbert coal-fueled fluidized-bed power plant begins operation.
Energy Policy Act of 2005 signed by President Bush; includes major Clean Coal Technology programs.
EPA adopts Clean Air Mercury Rule to reduce power plant HG emissions to 15 tons by 2018.
2006 Kentucky Energy Security National Leadership Act (HB 299) enacted; Act calls for strategy for producing
liquid and gaseous fuels from Kentucky coal. Kentucky Coal Academy founded to train new coal miners.
Kentucky becomes the first coal state to adopt a drug testing program for certification of coal miners.
Congress passes Mine Improvement & New Emergency Response Act, (MINER Act),
the most significant federal mine safety legislation in 30 years.
Source: Kentucky Coal Association
energy.ky.gov
kentuckycoal.com
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