Coal and Other Mineral Rights

Templeton Coal Company has not operated a coal mine since 1955. However, the company has continued to add to its coal reserves in nearby Sullivan, Knox and Greene Counties, anticipating a time when the Illinois Basin coal would again be marketable.  That time has come.

Sunrise Coal operates three underground mines with Templeton coal reserves—one near Carlisle, Indiana; two near Oaktown, Indiana.  Coal produced from the Carlisle mine is shipped to utilities in Indiana, Illinois and Florida.  The two Oaktown mines (formerly owned by Vectren Fuels until their sale to Sunrise Coal closed in August 2014) have enough coal to mine for 20-30 years.  These mines are within 50 miles of eight power plants and have ready access to rail service to ship the washed coal directly to them.  Templeton Coal has also committed reserves in Sullivan County to the Bear Run mine opened in 2010 by Peabody Energy.  The Bear Run mine is the largest surface mine in the United States east of the Mississippi River.  The Bear Run mine serves customers that provide power for millions of residents in Northern, Central and Southern Indiana, as well as customers of electric co-ops and utilities in other regions.

Templeton Coal Company, in partnership with Hite Coal Bed Methane, also produces methane gas directly from wells on its Sullivan County property into a Texas Gas pipeline that runs from Louisiana to Chicago. Not only does the extraction of coal bed methane make the coal safer to mine, it also provides an additional revenue stream. Templeton Coal Company and Hite Coal Bed Methane were among the first to be commercially successful in methane gas extraction in the Illinois Basin.

Farming and Land Activities

In addition to the activity below the surface with coal mining and methane extraction, Templeton Coal Company also maintains and makes commercial use of resources above the ground. Specifically, company land is used for timbering and farming. Timbering involves harvesting mature trees and ones that aren’t as healthy so that younger trees can grow. Also, several tenant farmers make good use of Templeton land by growing crops and raising cattle. Former strip pits provide an ample supply of water, while the old mining roads make it easy to traverse the property. Old mining buildings even serve as present-day barns.