PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Where is coal found and what are mining challenges?
Western N.D contains about 351 billion (351,000,000,000:) tons of lignite.
the largest lignite mines are in Mercer,Mclean, and Oliver counties near Beulah,Underwood, and Center.
The Freedom mine near Beulah is the largest lignite mine in the world.
challenges and coal production :)
surface mining temporarily changes the landscape.
after the coal has been removed, the mined area needs to be reclaimed.
reclamation is the process of restoring land after the coal has been removed.
the rocks and dirt are returned to the area, the topsoil and subsoil are replaced and the area is replanted.
mining companies must prove that the reclaimed land is as good as or better than it was before coal was removed.
it costs mining companies from $30,000 to $60,000 to reclaim one acre of land.
an acre is an area of land about the size of a football field.
between 1,500 to 2,000 acres of land are disturbed and reclaimed in N.D each year.
U.S coal deposits :N.D's supply of lignite coal is enough to last more than 800 years.
look at the mining activity photos and read its captions.
