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[email protected] | Phone: 704.588.5500 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 VOL. 123 NO. 1 NEWS/4 FORECAST 2018/18 feature articles 18 The Coal Industry Prepares to Extend the 2017 Recovery Plans for capital spending increases on the heels of growing production 24 Longwall Production Rebounds in 2017 The numbers of overall faces drops by two, but production increases by nearly 10% U.S. LONGWALL CENSUS/24 SAFETY TRAINING/30 30 THE ABCs of KSAs Assessing the self-escape knowledge, skills and abilities of coal miners coal in the news 4 Cloud Peak to Ship PRB Coal to Japan 4 Murry Energy Will Acquire Majority Interest in Armstrong Energy 4 Projects Advancing in Illinois Basin in Early 2018 6 Blackhawk Set to Grow Met Coal Business in 2018 7 FERC Rejects DOE’s Proposal on Grid Reliability 8 Lighthouse Resources Files Lawsuit Against this issue Washington This month, Coal Age publishes its annual U.S. Longwall Census, 10 Another Hotspot Spells Trouble for Deer Run which provides details on some of the most advanced underground 10 Alpha Natural Resources Announces 2018 Sales coal mining systems.