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the Bear Coal Company since 1945 are shown in Table 1, Historical • Production Rates. Since March of 1959, William ("Bill") Bear has been General Manager of the Bear Coal Company. Prior to his appointment as General Manager, Bill worked for almost 15 years at the underground operations as a general laborer, mining machine operator, a fireboss, a mine foreman, a general mine foreman, an office manager, and a mine superintendent. Bill has been recognized in Colorado and also the nation as an excellent mine operator. Because of his invaluable expertise, he was appointed to the Federal Office of Coal Research as an advisor in 1963 and served in that position until 1976. In 1970, the Bear Coal Company sold certain surface lands and transferred mineral rights to Atlantic Richfield Company ("ARCO") under the assumption that Bear Coal Company would continue mining. The agreement between Bear Coal Company and ARCO for continuation of mining was formalized into a contract signed by the two firms on March 17, • 1980. The Bear Coal Company is one of the most efficient underground mines in Colorado with production rates averaging more than 20 tons of coal per man per day. This compares with a national average of less than 9 tons of coal per man per day. The high efficiency of the Bear Coal Company has allowed the mine to compete in a market dominated by large corporations and likewise survive the lean years for coal mining in the 1950's and 1960's -- two decades in which hundreds of small mines perished. The mining operations of the Bear Coal Company average 60 to 70 employees. Much of the mining equipment is old, yet well-maintained. Two of the three continuous miners used at the Bear Coal Company area Lee Norse 48HH's; they are the only two 48HH's still mining coal. The Bear Coal Company has a proud, 47-year tradition of employment and safety while producing coal for both local and industrial use. 3