Coal (lignite) mines in the US: 15 open mines
Updated November 6, 2026. Source: US Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Open Government Data Sets.
MSHA lists 15 open coal (lignite) mines in the US, run by 15 operators and employing 2,288 people. Since January 1, 2022 its inspectors issued 667 citations and orders there with $537,378 in proposed penalties, and operators reported 102 injury or illness cases, 1 of them fatal. The operators with the most open mines are Luminant Mining Company LLC; Nacg Texas, Inc.; Westmoreland Beulah Mining LLC. Data from MSHA, November 6, 2026.
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- Open mines
- 15
- Operators
- 15
- Employees
- 2,288
- Active
- 12
- NonProducing
- 2
- Temporarily Idled
- 1
- Citations and orders since January 1, 2022
- 667
- Significant and substantial
- 75 (11.2%)
- Closure orders
- 15
- High negligence or reckless
- 29
- Proposed penalties
- $537,378
- Amount paid so far
- $396,551
- Inspections
- 259
- Inspector hours on site
- 8,088
- Citations per inspection
- 2.58 (all mines 2.30)
- Accident reports
- 112
- Injury and illness cases
- 102
- Fatalities
- 1
- Latest MSHA record
- November 2, 2026
Operators with the most open mines
Ranked by open mines, then by citations. Sole proprietors and individuals are not listed.
| Operator | Open mines | Employees | Citations since 2022 | Proposed penalties | Injury cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luminant Mining Company LLC | 1 | 334 | 282 | $279,810 | 31 |
| Nacg Texas, Inc. | 1 | 287 | 82 | $174,922 | 11 |
| Westmoreland Beulah Mining LLC | 1 | 30 | 69 | $27,755 | 4 |
| The Coteau Properties Company | 1 | 497 | 60 | $12,527 | 11 |
| Falkirk Mining Company | 1 | 410 | 34 | $10,485 | 10 |
| Bni Coal, Ltd | 1 | 182 | 32 | $6,416 | 11 |
| Naes Corporation | 1 | 92 | 26 | $9,186 | 2 |
| Jewett Mine LLC | 1 | 50 | 22 | $3,951 | 3 |
| Coyote Creek Mining Company, L.L.C. | 1 | 115 | 20 | $4,990 | 5 |
| Demery Resources Company | 1 | 30 | 11 | $2,184 | 0 |
| The Sabine Mining Company | 1 | 49 | 11 | $2,404 | 3 |
| Center Coal Co-Div/General Industries Inc | 1 | 1 | 8 | $1,222 | 0 |
| Westmoreland Savage Mining LLC | 1 | 7 | 7 | $1,017 | 2 |
| Mississippi Lignite Mining Company | 1 | 204 | 3 | $509 | 9 |
| Lexington Coal Company, LLC | 1 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
Operators with the most citations
Citations and orders issued since January 1, 2022 at their open mines here.
| Operator | Open mines | Employees | Citations since 2022 | Proposed penalties | Injury cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luminant Mining Company LLC | 1 | 334 | 282 | $279,810 | 31 |
| Nacg Texas, Inc. | 1 | 287 | 82 | $174,922 | 11 |
| Westmoreland Beulah Mining LLC | 1 | 30 | 69 | $27,755 | 4 |
| The Coteau Properties Company | 1 | 497 | 60 | $12,527 | 11 |
| Falkirk Mining Company | 1 | 410 | 34 | $10,485 | 10 |
| Bni Coal, Ltd | 1 | 182 | 32 | $6,416 | 11 |
| Naes Corporation | 1 | 92 | 26 | $9,186 | 2 |
| Jewett Mine LLC | 1 | 50 | 22 | $3,951 | 3 |
| Coyote Creek Mining Company, L.L.C. | 1 | 115 | 20 | $4,990 | 5 |
| Demery Resources Company | 1 | 30 | 11 | $2,184 | 0 |
| The Sabine Mining Company | 1 | 49 | 11 | $2,404 | 3 |
| Center Coal Co-Div/General Industries Inc | 1 | 1 | 8 | $1,222 | 0 |
| Westmoreland Savage Mining LLC | 1 | 7 | 7 | $1,017 | 2 |
| Mississippi Lignite Mining Company | 1 | 204 | 3 | $509 | 9 |
| Lexington Coal Company, LLC | 1 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
Mines with the most citations
Open mines, ranked by citations and orders since January 1, 2022.
| Mine | Operator | County | Main commodity | Employees | Citations since 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kosse Strip | Luminant Mining Company LLC | Limestone County, TX | Coal (lignite) | 334 | 282 |
| San Miguel Lignite Mine | Nacg Texas, Inc. | Atascosa County, TX | Coal (lignite) | 287 | 82 |
| Beulah Mine | Westmoreland Beulah Mining LLC | Mercer County, ND | Coal (lignite) | 30 | 69 |
| Freedom Mine | The Coteau Properties Company | Mercer County, ND | Coal (lignite) | 497 | 60 |
| Falkirk Mine | Falkirk Mining Company | Mclean County, ND | Coal (lignite) | 410 | 34 |
| Center Mine | Bni Coal, Ltd | Oliver County, ND | Coal (lignite) | 182 | 32 |
| Calvert Mine | Naes Corporation | Robertson County, TX | Coal (lignite) | 92 | 26 |
| Jewett Mine | Jewett Mine LLC | Leon County, TX | Coal (lignite) | 50 | 22 |
| Coyote Creek Mine | Coyote Creek Mining Company, L.L.C. | Mercer County, ND | Coal (lignite) | 115 | 20 |
| South Hallsville No 1 Mine | The Sabine Mining Company | Harrison County, TX | Coal (lignite) | 49 | 11 |
| Five Forks Mine | Demery Resources Company | Natchitoches Parish, LA | Coal (lignite) | 30 | 11 |
| Center Coal Company | Center Coal Co-Div/General Industries Inc | Oliver County, ND | Coal (lignite) | 1 | 8 |
| Savage Mine | Westmoreland Savage Mining LLC | Richland County, MT | Coal (lignite) | 7 | 7 |
| Red Hills Mine | Mississippi Lignite Mining Company | Choctaw County, MS | Coal (lignite) | 204 | 3 |
| Lilly Fork Surface Mine | Lexington Coal Company, LLC | Nicholas County, WV | Coal (lignite) | 0 | 0 |
States
| State | Open mines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 6 | 40% |
| Texas | 5 | 33.3% |
| Louisiana | 1 | 6.7% |
| Mississippi | 1 | 6.7% |
| Montana | 1 | 6.7% |
| West Virginia | 1 | 6.7% |
Citations and injury cases by year
Calendar years since 2022; 2026 runs to the date of the MSHA files.
| Year | Citations and orders | Significant and substantial | Proposed penalties | Injury and illness cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 86 | 13 | $30,925 | 11 |
| 2023 | 115 | 7 | $64,323 | 26 |
| 2024 | 167 | 17 | $283,748 | 28 |
| 2025 | 95 | 8 | $37,380 | 17 |
| 2026 | 204 | 30 | $121,002 | 20 |
Standards cited most at coal (lignite) mines
Sections of Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations named on the citations, with the part each belongs to.
| Standard | What the part covers | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 30 CFR 77.404 | Surface coal mines, safety | 58 |
| 30 CFR 77.1104 | Surface coal mines, safety | 48 |
| 30 CFR 77.1606 | Surface coal mines, safety | 45 |
| 30 CFR 77.205 | Surface coal mines, safety | 44 |
| 30 CFR 77.1607 | Surface coal mines, safety | 34 |
| 30 CFR 77.502 | Surface coal mines, safety | 32 |
| 30 CFR 77.1110 | Surface coal mines, safety | 29 |
| 30 CFR 77.502-2 | Surface coal mines, safety | 28 |
| 30 CFR 77.1605 | Surface coal mines, safety | 26 |
| 30 CFR 77.400 | Surface coal mines, safety | 23 |
| 30 CFR 77.1713 | Surface coal mines, safety | 19 |
| 30 CFR 77.204 | Surface coal mines, safety | 18 |
| 30 CFR 47.41 | Hazard communication | 16 |
| 30 CFR 77.512 | Surface coal mines, safety | 15 |
| 30 CFR 77.410 | Surface coal mines, safety | 12 |
Injury and illness cases at coal (lignite) mines
Accident reports by degree of injury, as the operator reported them to MSHA.
| Degree | Cases |
|---|---|
| Fatality | 1 |
| Permanent disability | 2 |
| Days away from work or restricted activity | 61 |
| No lost time, or an occupational illness | 38 |
What the accident reports at coal (lignite) mines describe
Accident classification, as MSHA codes the circumstances that contributed most directly.
| Classification | Reports |
|---|---|
| Handling of materials | 26 |
| Slip or fall of person | 24 |
| Machinery | 16 |
| Handtools (nonpowered) | 15 |
| Fire | 9 |
| Powered haulage | 9 |
| Other | 4 |
| Stepping or kneeling on object | 3 |
| Disorders (physical agents) | 3 |
| Falling/sliding/rolling materials | 1 |
Equipment named in accident reports at coal (lignite) mines
| Equipment | Reports |
|---|---|
| Bulldozer | 15 |
| Hand tools (not powered) | 15 |
| Shovel | 9 |
| Hand tools (powered) | 7 |
| Ore haulage trucks - off highway trucks | 6 |
| Trucks | 4 |
| Scraper loader | 4 |
| Pump | 3 |
| Road grader | 3 |
| Machine | 2 |
US government work, public domain. Counts come from the MSHA files published on November 6, 2026. An open mine is one MSHA lists as Active, Intermittent, New Mine, Temporarily Idled or NonProducing; 13,673 were open that day. Citations, penalties, inspections and accident reports run from January 1, 2022. A citation is an inspector's allegation and an operator can contest it; the penalty is the amount MSHA first proposed, before any contest or settlement. An operator is the legal entity MSHA assesses, and a parent company is its controller. Mines run by sole proprietors or by individuals are counted in every total and are not named. This page uses MSHA data and is not endorsed or certified by MSHA. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0. Spot a wrong value? Write to [email protected] with the link to this page.