The MC #1 and Viking mines are part of the Sugar Camp mine complex in Akin and Macedonia, Franklin County, Illinois. They are underground mines covering an area of about 37955 acres and are operated under the MSHA ID 1103189. Each of these mines is operated separately by M-Class Mining LLC and Viking Mine LLC, subsidiaries of Foresight Energy, but they report their operations under MC#1. The “MC#1 Mine” title is used in the EIA 923 database for both longwall operations.
The Sugar Camp mine complex produces bituminous coal with a heat content of 11,820 Btu/lb. The coal exists at a depth of about 728 feet, and the coal deposit has a seam thickness of 6.5 feet and a seam depth of 700 – 1,000 feet.
The Sugar Camp mine complex can support four longwalls. Both mines share common surface infrastructure, but each runs its longwall operation on the site and maintains separate access points for mine personnel and equipment. M Class #1 Mine started the first longwall operations in the first quarter of 2012, and Viking Energy’s 2nd longwall operations began at the end of the second quarter of 2014.
M-Class Mining LLC and Viking Mine LLC have 1.270 billion tons of recoverable clean coal reserves as of 2024. The Viking Mine has a coal preparation capacity of 2,400 tons per hour, while the MC#1 Mine prepares 2,000 tons per hour. The mining complex has produced about 104,188,603 tons of coal as of 2024, cumulatively. The mines’ coal production has been fluctuating over the years. It produced about 14.46M short tons of coal in 2018. In 2021, the production declined to 7.9 million tons of coal. The company reported an output of about 5.58M tons in 2022 and 5.79M tons in 2023. The coal is transported by various Railroads, including the Canadian National, Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, and EVWR, and barge on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
As of 2024, the mine employs about 411 miners. The mines have recorded several accidents since they began their operations in 2012. One accident involved a 36-year-old miner who died at the mine in 2013 and a 20-year-old miner who died in 2015.
File a black lung claim.
Apart from physical injuries, coal miners are exposed to toxic coal dust, which increases their risk of developing black lung disease or coal worker pneumoconiosis. The risk of developing respiratory problems associated with coal mining depends on the amount, frequency, and duration of exposure to coal dust. It may take decades for a miner to develop coal worker pneumoconiosis after the initial coal dust exposure. Coal miners affected by Black Lung diseases and their survivors can file for benefits through the Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation of the US DOL under the Black Lung Benefits Act of 1972. Black Lung Benefits include monthly payments and medical benefits. Mining companies and insurers pay these benefits, as well as the legal fees of the lawyers representing miner claimants whose claims are successful.
Are you or a loved one affected by black lung disease? Did you work as a miner at The MC #1 or Viking Mines? Contact Black lung claimant attorney Hugh Stephens to help you file a claim for benefits or assist you through the black lung claim process.