For Additional Information:
John Grasser (202) 463-2651
Karen Batra (202) 463-2651

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2000

NMA, MSHA HONORS MINES WITH BEST SAFETY RECORDS AT MINEXPO®

LAS VEGAS, N.V. -- Winners of the Sentinels of Safety, mining's most prestigious safety award, were honored today at an awards luncheon held in conjunction with NMA's MINExpo INTERNATIONAL 2000®. National Mining Association (NMA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), cosponsors of the national safety program, presented awards to this year's winners, representing mining operations in Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

To qualify for the award, a mine must complete at least 30,000 employee work-hours during the year without a lost-time injury or fatality. Winners represent operations in eight industry categories that worked the most employee-hours in 1999 without suffering a lost-time injury.

NMA President and CEO Richard L. Lawson applauded the award winners and reinforced the industry's commitment to safety. "The mining professionals who work at these operations are to be congratulated for their diligence in making their mines safer places to work. These men and women truly exemplify the U.S. mining industry's continued and continuing dedication to safety," Lawson said. "Some of this year's winners are new, while others - particularly in the surface coal, quarry, open pit and underground metal categories - have won several times, in one instance as many
as four previous times. That shows a commitment to safety that is second to none, and speaks volumes about the professionalism of the U.S. mining industry."

The Sentinels of Safety awards, first announced by former President Herbert Hoover in 1925, is designed to promote greater interest in mine safety and the development of more effective accident prevention programs.

The following lists first place winners by mining category, and their injury-free employee hours:

Surface Coal:
Cordero Mine, Cordero Mining Company, Gillette, WY - 814,451 hours.

Open Pit:
Phelps Dodge Sierrita, Phelps Dodge Sierrita, Inc., Green Valley, AZ - 471,873 hours.

Underground Metal:
Sweetwater Mine/Mill, The Doe Run Company, Reynolds, MO - 277,254 hours.

Dredge:
Briggs Plant, Fordyce Company, Victoria, TX - 250,976 hours.

Bank or Pit:
Blue Diamond Materials, Pioneer Concrete of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV - 228,934 hours.

Underground Coal:
Kingston No. 1 Mine, Kingston Mining, Inc., Scarbo, West Virginia - 197,464 hours.

Quarry:
Thornton Quarry, Material Service Corporation, Thornton, IL -184,159 hours.

Underground Nonmetal:
Locust Cove Mine, United States Gypsum Company, Saltville, Virginia - 129,515 hours.

Other mines with exceptional safety records during 1999 include the following:

Underground Coal Group:
Black Knight II, Elk Run Coal Company, Inc., Sylvester, WV, 107,619 hours;
Humphrey Mine, Consolidation Coal Company, Maidsville, WV, 106,966 hours;
Outpost West, Marfork Coal Company, Inc., Whitesville, WV, 93,344 hours;
Pride #1 Underground, White River Coal, Inc., Monroe City, IN, 84,699 hours.

Surface Coal Group:
Samples Mine, Cantenary Coal Company, Eskdale, WV, 684,213 hours;
Big Brown Strip, TXU Mining Company, Fairfield, TX, 565,068 hours;
Kemmerer Mine, Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Company, Kemmerer, WY, 513,301 hours;
Muskingum Mine, Central Ohio Coal Company, Cumberland, OH, 373,678 hours.

Underground Metal Group:
Buick Mill Mine, The Doe Run Company, Boss, MO, 274,704 hours;
Fletcher Mine/Mill, The Doe Run Company, Viburnum, MO, 195,237 hours;
Cumberland Mine, Pasminco Zinc, Inc., Gordonsville, TN, 86,796, hours;
Rain Underground, Small Mine Development, LLD., Carlin, NV, 42,363 hours.

Underground Nonmetal Group:
Riverside Stone, Yager Materials, Inc., Brandenburg, KY, 118,209 hours;
Pleasant Gap Mine, Graybec Lime, Inc., Pleasant Gap, PA, 110,939 hours;
Kimballtown Plant #1, Chemical Lime of Virginia, Inc., Ripplemead, VA, 76,157 hours;
Blue Stone Quarry, Latrobe Construction Co., Latrobe, PA, 68,704 hours.

Open Pit Group:
DuPont Florida Mine & Plant, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Inc., Starke, FL, 266,037 hours;
Swift Creek Mine, PCS Phosphate, White Springs, FL, 262,797 hours;
Denton-Rawhide, Kennecott Rawhide Mining Co., Fallon, NV, 248,509 hours;
The Wharf Mine, Wharf Resources, (USA), Inc., Lead, SD, 195,107 hours.

Quarry Group:
Reed Quarry, Vulcan Materials Company, Grand Rivers, KY, 130,812 hours:
Servtex Plant, Hanson Aggregates West, Inc., New Braunfels, TX, 109,047 hours;
Hy Desert Rustic Stone, Hard Rock Veneer, Red Mountain, CA, 108,518 hours;
Longview Lime, Dravo Lime Company, Saginaw, AL, 108,210 hours.

Bank or Pit Group:
Plant II, United Metro Materials, Inc., Phoenix, AZ, 160,323 hours;
Arena Plant, Pioneer South Central, Altair, TX, 141,064 hours:
Little River Plant #743, Hanson Aggregates West, Inc., Ashdown, AR, 137,459 hours;
Taylor Division, Badger Mining Corporation, Taylor, WI, 108,032 hours.

Dredge Group:
Porter Plant, Hallett Materials, Porter, TX, 105,199 hours;
EPK Clay Division, The Feldspar Corporation, Edgar, FL, 81,985 hours;
Blue Roan Bend, Pioneer South Central, Inc., Garwood, TX, 65,987 hours;
Drowning Creek Dredge & Plant, Southern Products & Silica Co., Hoffman, NC, 56,050 hours.

The U.S. mining industry produces coal, metals, building materials, and many other essential minerals that define the daily lives of 267 million Americans. The mining industry generates over $500 billion in total economic benefit each year and helps to sustain nearly 5 million U.S. jobs.