Do the coal companies have to use longwall mining?
In listening to the B.S. from the coal companies, one hears many illusory statements about how they can’t use the room and pillar method because the coal is too deep. However, there are two other mines in Illinois where room and pillar mining is being used at depths hundreds of feet deeper than the coal seam in Montgomery County. Bottom line here is that they don’t have to use longwall but have chosen to do so because it increases their PROFITS! They could care less about what happens above ground!
