Two small Pennsylvania coal companies filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors Dec. 22 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
C&D Coal Co. LLC, which operates the Kingston West bituminous coal mine in Westmoreland County, has estimated liabilities between $10 million and $50 million, according to the filing. Its debts include $300,000 to the IRS and nearly $15,000 to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. Its assets are estimated between $10 million and $50 million.
The mine produced 125,869 tons of coal at its peak in 2014, according to MSHA records, but just 21,371 tons in 2016. It incurred more than $20,000 in penalties for safety violations in 2015 while producing 86,518 tons of coal.
An affiliated company, Derry Coal Co. LLC, estimated its assets and liabilities at between $1 million and $10 million each in its filing.