The Big Ten Coal Companies

About 1,200 U.S. companies mine coal, but ten of them consistently account for almost half of the nation's production. Four are owned by large metals manufacturers, which are skilled at mining and shipping ores and use much coal in their smelters and blast furnaces. Four others are owned by oil or gas companies. Another, Clinchfield, is owned by Pittston Co., which also has oil interests. Only one of the Big Ten, North American Coal, is independent.

Many oil firms want to become across-the-board energy producers, and they already control some 30% of the nation's coal reserves. This diversification is raising questions among trustbusters, who worry that the energy corporations are becoming too powerful. From the coal producers' view, there is one great advantage to being owned by a larger corporation: money. The coal producers need plenty of it to expand operations, improve work conditions, and buy new machines. By being attached to a huge corporation--particularly a highly profitable oil company--a coal producer usually has an easier time raising capital than if it stood alone.

The top ten coal producers:

OWNER 1972 PRODUCTION MAIN OPERATIONS (millions of tons) Peabody Coal Kennecott Copper 71.6 Utah, Mont.

Consolidation Coal Continental Oil 64.9 Appalachia, Midwest Island Creek Coal Occidental Petroleum 22.6 Appalachia Clinchfield Coal Pittston 20.6 Appalachia Amax Coal American Metal Climax 16.4 Ind., III.

United States Steel 16.3 Appalachia Bethlehem Steel 13.3 Appalachia Eastern Associated Eastern Gas & Fuel 12.5 Appalachia Coal North American Coal 12 Appalachia Old Ben Coal Standard Oil of Ohio 11.2 Appalachia

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