Mining Intelligence and News
United States

Bull Mountains Mine

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Longwall
  • Room-and-pillar
  • Continuous
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Bull Mountains is the only active underground coal mine in Montana and the surface of the current permit area is a mix of private, state, and federally owned land.

On June 6, 2025, The U.S. Interior Department approved a plan by Signal Peak Energy to expand coal mining, as it responded to President Donald Trump's energy-emergency directives.

The approval authorizes the Montana-based coal company to recover 22.8 million metric tons of federal coal and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal and extend the life of the Bull Mountains mine by nine years.

Environmental groups have tried to block the expansion of the mine over concerns about its water use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Latest NewsSignal Peak Energy: Trump administration approves coal mine expansion to boost Asia exports     June 6, 2025

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Signal Peak Energy LLC (operator) 100 % Direct
Signal Peak Energy, LLC owns and operates the Bull Mountains Mine No.1 underground coal mine.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The overburden and the underburden of the Bull Mountains Mine consist of layers of rock including clinker, sandstone, silty sandstone, coal, siltstone, and claystone. Typically, these layers are thin and alternate between the various lithologies. The seam being mined is the Mammoth coal seam, and the coal is sub-bituminous.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
Coal (thermal) tons  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe7,019,1297,566,4805,883,820
All production numbers are expressed as clean coal.

Operational metrics

Metrics2020
Raw coal annual capacity  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 29, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 29, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 29, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 29, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2024
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required 2017

Aerial view:

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