Laserfiche WebLink
.. <br />Table II-2: North Fork Coal Mines <br />1979 Average 1979 <br />• <br />• <br />Company Mine Workforce Tonnage <br />Colorado Westmoreland Orchard Valley 182 722,470 <br />Adolph Coors Ring 2 -- <br />Grand Mesa Red Canon N1 18 9,840 <br />Quinn Coal Tomahawk Strip 11 70,741 <br />Sunflower Energy Blue Ribbon 32 89,373 <br />U.S. Steel• Somerset 295 900,777 <br />Western Slope• Hawk's Nest East 175 436,743 <br />Bear Coal• Bear 57 250,152 <br />• Located in Gunnison County. <br />Source: Colorado s Mining, 1980 Coal Facts, pp. 17-19. <br />Coal mining's importance to the economy is expected to grow as Atlantic <br />Richfield (ARCO) has proposed to open the Mt. Gunnison mine, and Colorado <br />Westmoreland and Western Slope are proposing to expand their operations. <br />Further solidifying the stability of coal to the area is the fnct that the <br />largest employers have long-term contracts for their coal, thus mitigating <br />against the traditional boom and bust cycles of the industry. Given the <br />average 1979 annual wage of $21,816 per miner (Colorado Labor Market <br />Information), coal operations in the North Fork generate a payroll in excess <br />of $16.8 million. Payroll, coupled with Bales of coal, undoubtedly exceeds <br />the market value of agricultural products, making mining an important segment <br />of Delta County's economy. <br />Other sources of economic activity stem from the recreation/tourism trade, and <br />from the influx of retirees. The latter group have been sttracted to the <br />area, in part, because of medical research pointing to Delta County's <br />environment (steady mild temperatures) as conducive to good health. <br />Recreational opportunities abound in the area, including sna+mobiling, <br />hunting," fishing, boating, hiking, ate. (Delta, Colorado: An Economic <br />7 <br />