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Community Affairs and"Auman Resource Development <br />Kerr Coal, in conjunction with Colorado Northwestern Community College, <br />has developed a 24 hour Pre-Employment Training Course which covers, in <br />addition to health and safety standards, subjects such as fire fighting, <br />first aid, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In addition, the continu- <br />ing education program of Kerr Coal requires all employees to attend at <br />least 16 hours of annual retraining courses per year. <br />Together with Colorado Northwest Community College and other concerns, <br />Kerr Coal has developed and implemented a complete technical-vocational <br />school for mining at the Mine Career Education Center at Steamboat <br />Springs, Colorado. Courses presently offered include Industrial Welding, <br />Industrial Electricians Training, and Diesel Mechanics, while classes in <br />Heavy Equipment Operations are planned for the near future. These pro- <br />grams are co-sponsored by the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act <br />(CETA) and were designed to train local residents for jobs in mining and <br />related industries, thus minimizing the potential influx of new residents <br />related to the mining industry. <br />• <br />Production from the Marr Strip !I1 presently accounts for SOY, of the <br />Union Pacific Railroad freight in Jackson County. Prior to the opening <br />of the Marr Strip lll, Union Pacific was in the process of abandoning the <br />Walden Spur. Thus, production from the Marr Strip 111 has allowed Union <br />Pacific to continue servicing the small but important transportation <br />needs of the local residents. <br />Residents of the community have recently expressed a desire to maintain <br />and support the local coal industry as evidenced by a survey of local <br />opinion financed in part through a comprehensive planning grant from the <br />Department of Housing and Urban Development. (See: Exhibit 1, Local <br />Opinion Poll Results.) Furthermore, the Jackson County Board of County <br />Commissioners has repeatedly stressed their support for approval of the <br />mining plans of Kerr Coal (See: Exhibit 2, Letter from Jackson County <br />Board of County Commissioners, dated July 25, 1979 and Exhibit 3, Excerpt <br />of Public Hearing held on January 15, 1980.) <br />• <br />-4- <br />