King II Coal Mine

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King II Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Hesperus, Colorado, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
King II Coal Mine	Hesperus, Colorado, United States	37.247171, -108.131691 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	2008	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
–	0.5833197621	2023	Underground	–	–	373*	89

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
–	–	–	Other Western	Bituminous	–	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
GCC Energy	GCC Energy [100%]	USA

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.

Background

King II Mine is a U.S. coal mine in Hesperus, Colorado, owned by GCC Energy . The King II mine is located in La Plata County in southwestern Colorado, approximately 6 miles west-southwest of Hesperus, Colorado, and about 14 miles west of Durango, Colorado.

Workings at the original mine (King I) were depleted in 2009 and those portals have been sealed. The King II surface facilities were constructed in 2008.

The mine supplies low-ash, low mercury super-compliant, bituminous coal to GCC Energy's domestic and international customers predominantly for the purpose of manufacturing cement and concrete, but also to power the famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad located in Durango.

In 2020, the mine produced 0.6 million tons, and had 85 employees.

• MSHA id: 0504864
• Sponsor: GCC Energy LLC
• Parent Company: GCC Energy LLC
• Location: Hesperus, Colorado, United States
• GPS Coordinates: 37.247171, -108.131691 (exact)
• Status Operating
• Production Capacity: 600,000 to 800,000 tons per year
• Production: 592,669 tons in 2020
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves:
• Coal type: Bituminous
• Mine Size: 2,812 acres
• Mine Type: Underground
• Start Year: 2007
• Source of Financing:

Expansion

On January 10, 2018, expecting that the reserves at King II would soon be depleted, GCC Energy submitted a lease application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State Office for a mine expansion. The proposed new lease would contain approximately 2,462 acres located adjacent to and immediately northwest of the King II Mine. Known as the "Dunn Ranch Area," the proposed lease area consists of federal coal beneath surface estate predominantly owned by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, along with a smaller amount of other private surface owners and BLM-administered surface estate.

On October 11, 2019, the BLM approved GCC Energy's proposal. Before mining can occur, GCC Energy must be the highest qualified bidder in the competitive lease sale, after which the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) would make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) on whether or not to approve the proposed mining plan modification. If approved, construction could begin in 2020.

GCC Energy estimates the coal lease would allow approximately 22 years of additional coal production at the King II mine. The projected mine life and operating plans are anticipated to extend through the year 2043. Without the expansion, the mine life would only extend through the year 2022.

As of February 2020, the expansion is listed in the MSHA database as the King III mine, although no production or employees are listed in the entry.

Opposition

In 2014, GCC received approval from the State of Colorado do increase production to 1.4 million tons a year. Initially, GCC was only permitted to extract 0.61 million tons of coal from the publicly owned coalfield a year. However, the company did not receive an approval from the US Interior Department, which has the final say. Mine started increasing its production over 0.61 million tons from 2014 onwards, despite the lack of federal approval. In 2016, the NGO WildEarth Guardians complained with the US Office of Surface Mining. In 2017, the NGO stated that they expected to see legal action taken against GCC.

A coalition of conservation groups filed a lawsuit in December 2020 for the expansion process to be suspended, and for the King II mine to be closed. The lawsuit claimed that King II mine was not compliant with water protection rules, and that it was not possible for the mine to operate safely. The coalition consists of Southwest Advocates, a group of residents who live near the mine, and the Citizens for Constitutional Integrity.

Project Expansion Details

• Status: Proposed
• Production Capacity: 600,000 to 800,000 tons per year (proposed)
• Mineable Reserves: 9.5 million tons
• Mine Expansion Size: 2,462 acres
• Start Year: 2020 (proposed)
• Source of Financing:

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.