Cline Energy and Development Group announced plans in 2004 to resurrect the mining industry in Illinois. Its new mine-mouth power plant combined with an underground mine, promises to bring coal production back to the Illinois basin. The new company, Steelhead Development is a subsidiary of Cline, a West Virginia based corporation.
Cline has become a major force in the revival of the Illinois Basin coal industry by developing new mines and rehabbing some of the older sites it has acquired. Hundreds of new jobs have been created by Cline’s development initiative and the future of Illinois Basin coal is now much brighter and promises to stay bright for many years to come. If Cline can blend its coal and produce a product that can meet client’s strict standards for chlorine content, the Illinois Basin coal industry will benefit as well as the people of Illinois and the local economy.
