By Jessica Legge Borders
FAIRMONT — When people flip on the lights in their homes or businesses, they may not realize where that electricity comes from or the process it goes through, said Janine Orf, director of investor relations for Patriot Coal Corp.
Patriot Coal has a vital role in providing power to the country.
“I think it’s critical to the U.S. because coal provides over half of electricity,” Orf said of mining. “It’s extremely important.”
Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., Patriot is the fourth leading producer and marketer of coal in the eastern United States, she said.
Orf said Patriot Coal went public through a spin-off on Nov. 1, 2007, and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In July 2008, the corporation acquired Magnum Co., which almost doubled Patriot’s size in terms of tons of production.
Patriot Coal Corp. has almost 4,000 employees in the United States, and doesn’t have any operations outside of the country, she said. More than 75 percent of the company’s coal production is in West Virginia.
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