State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) and his colleagues in the legislature were invited by Alliance Resource Partners to tour Hamilton County Coal Mine #1, on Thursday, December 7. Those attending with Rep. Severin were Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), and Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville).
“I had a great time touring the coal mine, and I think my colleagues did as well,” said Rep. Severin. “Everyone in Illinois knows how important coal is to Southern Illinois, but the industry has obviously been changing. I felt it was important to have some of my colleague’s tour a mine to show the continued importance of coal to the region and economy.”
Representative Severin visited the same coal mine a year ago and was impressed with the mine’s growth over the past year.
“Since the last time I visited Hamilton County Coal, the company has grown from 186 to 346 employees,” said Severin. “The staff were pleasant and it is my understanding that they are well compensated with good benefits. I think we all were very impressed with the operation as a whole, and it was good to see the mine is expanding.”
Rusty Ashcraft, of Alliance Resource Partners appreciated the state officials making time to visit and show support for the industry.
“It was a pleasure having Sen. Fowler, Rep. Severin, and Rep. Halbrook all come by and visit the Hamilton County Coal mine,” said Ashcraft. “We always enjoy having our public officials visit our facilities to show their support for the coal industry. We have a lot of great things going on here at Hamilton County Coal and we are proud of the men and women who work here and make it a special place to be.”
Hamilton County Coal operates Mine #1 for parent company Alliance Resource Partners, and is annually one of the top producing coal mines for the company. Mine #1 is an underground mine that produces roughly three million tons of coal per year.
