New Coal Mine to Be Dedicated Near Spiro

By The Daily Oklahoman

Apr. 6–SPIRO — AES Corp. officials will dedicate the state’s second underground mine Friday in a ceremony near Spiro.

When fully operational, AES subsidiary Coal Creek Minerals will employ up to 50 people in far eastern Oklahoma and produce up to 500,000 tons of coal a year.

Le Flore, Latimer and Haskell counties have a long history of mining, AES said.

During the dedication, Ron Cunningham of the Oklahoma Mine Training Institute will detail that history and provide information on mining safety.

More than 20 percent of the state’s coal reserves are in the eastern three-county area.

“Mining is still a difficult and dangerous job, but we want to show the improvements that have been made in mining, and especially the steps we are taking to make this mine and our miners as safe as possible,” said Roger Hurst, president of Coal Creek Minerals, which estimates a payroll at the mine of between $3.5 million and $5 million.

Oklahoma has 10 coal mines, all of which are above ground except for the Georges Colliers Inc. mine near Spiro.

The Coal Creek Minerals mine dedication begins at 11 a.m. and is followed by lunch at noon.

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