The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said it recently transferred mine and companion water permits covering three deep mines from TJS Mining Inc. to coal operator J. Clifford Forrest’s Rosebud Mining Co.
- On May 1, the permits were transferred for the Darmac No. 3 deep mine in Plumcreek Township, Armstrong County, and Washington Township, Indiana County, to Rosebud Mining.
- On May 2, the permits were transferred to Rosebud Mining for the TJS No. 5 deep mine in South Bend Township, Armstrong County.
- On May 2, the permits for the TJS No. 1 deep mine in South Bend Township, Armstrong County, were transferred to Rosebud Mining.
Rosebud Mining in 2010 acquired TJS Mining and most of its affiliated companies from coal operator Thomas Smith. That expanded Rosebud’s already major presence in Pennsylvania underground mining, solidifying its status as the third biggest underground coal producer in the state.
The top underground producers in Pennsylvania are CONSOL Energy (NYSE: CNX) and Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR), mostly through multiple longwall mines in the Pittsburgh #8 coal seam in Greene and Washington counties in the state’s southwest corner. Alpha does have a significant presence in central Pennsylvania, as well. Rosebud, on the other hand, operates only smaller room-and-pillar jobs in several seams, giving it sourcing and coal quality flexibility from the underground mines and a major presence in the metallurgical coal market.
