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1st Discover Of Coal In Kentucky
Dr.Thomas Walker was the first known person to discover coal in Kentucky and use it to heat his campfire. He found it two years after coal was first discovered in the U.S. His descovery would impact the enviroment forever , for the good and the bad. People would later use it from heating fires to using electricty. -
Coal Mapping
Lewis Evan made a map showing most of the heavy mining coal in the Greenup and Boyd county in Kentucky. This helped show people that there was coal in Kentucky and where it was. -
First Coal Mine
The first commercial coal mine opened, known as the "McLean Drift Bank" in Kentucky. It was able to sell coal all over the U.S including Kentucky. -
First Geological Survey of Kentucky.
The General Assembly wanted W. W. Mather to conduct the first geological survey of Kentucky. He showed more people that coal did take up some of Kentucky and where they could mine it. -
Railroads in Kentucky Coalfields
Railroads were built in eastern and western Kentucky coalfields, making the coal come out of the mines and into the world alot faster. It gave everyone a better chance at getting some coal. -
Steam-Powered Shovel
First coal mined using a steam-power shovel. This made the coal come out of the ground more quickly. It helped produce coal . -
Coal Mining Machines
Coal mining machines come into use to undercut beds of coal. This decreased the amount of workers and increased the amount of coal. This in some ways was a pro and a con, it produced coal quicker but ment taht less coal miners were needed. -
Hopkins County
Hopkins County in Kentucky is the top leading coal producer for eight straight years. -
First Pulverized Coal Fired Generator
The first pulverized coal fired generator is used in electric power plants across Kentucky. A pulverized coal-fired generantor is an boiler that generates energy by burning pulverized coal .This made it easier to burn coal and people started burning coal more often. -
Auger Mining
Auger surface mining is introduced. Auger mining is a type of coal mining that mines coal using a drill driven into a coalbed inside a surface minepit. -
Statewide Coal Operators’ Association
Several leaders of the Kentucky coal indrustry met to create the Statewide Coal Operators' Association. Coal companies competed with alot of tesion at the time. Later they learned to work together. This made coal working less stressful a caused an increase in the number of coal workers. -
Diesel Powered Trains
Trains begain using diesel fuel instead of coal which decreased the need for coal. -
Underground Mines
Roof bolting introduced underground mines which incressed the safety and number of workers and coal. -
Coal Trains
Railroads begain using unit coal trains which carries coal from coal mines to power stations. Unit trains are usally used to carry goods. This made it easier to transport coal and increased the amount of coal produced. -
Mountiantop Mining
Mountaintop removal (Mountiantop minng) is a type of coal mining that began in Appalachia in the 1970s. Mountiantop mining blows up the mountians to get coal . This made it easier to get coal. -
Surface Coal Production
Surface coal production becomes Kentucky's primary main way of coal production. It was a much perferred way. This increased the insured protection from cave-ins. -
Federal Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement Act EDIT
The Federal Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement Act was passed which ment that the enverment was a little safer than before. Not as much stip mining was allowed. -
Underground Mining
Underground mining became Kentucky's primary means of coal mining in 1978. This helped protect some mountains from the destruction of the Mountain Top Mining procedure. -
Less Aboveground Mining
Surface mines produced most of Kentucky coal until the 1980's, when companies began abandoning surface mines and turned to underground mining more. Over 100,000 acres of Kentucky's surface mines were left unused. http://www.trailsrus.com/coal/history.html -
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Kentucky edmitted 143,000,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emisssions which are produced by burning coal and other fossil fuels. -
No Underground Coal Mining
Kentucky's first year with no underground coal mining sense it begain was in 2007. -
Candidates want to Maintian Mountiantop Mining
Republican and Democratic candidates want to maintian Kentucky's production of coal and mountiantop mining. -
Protest Against Mountiantop Mining
There was a four day sit-in protest agianst mountiantop mining.
