(Excludes mines producing less than 1,000 short tons) 
 
Number 
County 
Under- 
of 
mines operating 
Sold or used 
(short tons) 
 
————______ 
Strip 
Auger Total 
———————————--—
Underground Strip 
—_______ 
Auger Total 
ground 
 
 
 
 
 ' 2 ' 1 
 
 
 
 
 
1       
1       
 
 
3       
6,279 
 
 
 
 
 
1,000 
53,845 
 
 
1,800,569 
3,819 
194 
MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1967 
 
 
Table 1O.—Coal (bituminous) sold or used in 1967, by counties 
 
 
 
 
 
Delta 4 
Fremont 15 
Garfield 2 
Gunnison 4 
Huerfano 2 
LaPlata 5 
Las Animas 5 
Mesa 5 
Moffat 2 
Montrose 
Pitkin 2 
Rio Blanco 2 
Routt 2 
Weld 5 
 4 397,770 
 18 257,110 
 2 3,821 
 4 440,783 
 2 24,899 
 5 21,181 
 5 756,912 
 5 118,164 
 3 214,997 
  629,815 
 2 4,964 
 5 30,893 
 5 672,459 
397,770 
 
 
267,208 
 
 
3,821 
 
 
440, 783 
 
 
24,899 
 
 
21,181 
 
 
756,912 
 
 
118,164 
 
 
215,997 
 
 
53,845 
 
 
629,815 
 
 
4,964 
 
 
1,831,462 
 
 
672,459 
 Total 55 7 1 63 3,573,768 1,861,693 3,819 5,439,280 
 
 
1 One mine strip and auger included in mine count of strip only. 
 
derground, three strip, and one auger mine had production between 1,000 and
10,000 tons; 17 underground and one strip mine, between 10,000 and 100,000
tons; eight underground and one strip mine, between 100,000 and 500,000 tons;
and two underground and two strip mines, between 500,000 and 1,000,000 tons.
In Las Animas County the Allen underground mine of CF&I Steel Corp. had
the largest production of all coal mines in the State. The other three mines
with production exceeding 500,000 tons were, in order of output, the Edna
strip mine of The Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Co. in Routt County,
the Somerset underground mine of Uniited States Steel Corp. (USS) in Delta
and Gunnison Counties, and the Seneca strip mine of Seneca Coals, Ltd., in
Routt County. Coal from the Allen and Somerset nlines was used for steelmaking,
and that from the Edna and Seneca mines for electric-power generation. 
 The average price per ton of coal produced from underground mines was $5.50,
and that from strip mines, $3.36 compared with $5.73 and $3.37, respectively,
in 1966. 
 The status of the Hayden powerplant was clarified by a contract between
the Colorado-Ute Electric Association, Inc., and Public Service Company of
Colorado (PSCo), which was approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission
on December 22. Colorado-Ute will own and operate the plant and serve all
its present 
members. PSCo will sell varying quantities of wholesale power to Colorado-Ute
as well as provide transmission service for deliveries of power to two of
ColoradoUte's customers. Under the contract PSCo was given the right and
obligation, between 1968 and 1974, to buy annually a block of surplus power
from the Hayden plant at a favorable price. Coal for the Hayden plant was
supplied from the Seneca strip mine operated by Seneca Coals, Ltd. 
 After 28 years of operation the Washington underground mine of Clayton Coal
Co. was closed on May 12 for lack of mineable coal. The mine, 19 miles north
of Denver in Weld County, first attained production in November 1940. Total
output during the life of the mine was 4.4 million tons, with most of the
production sent to powerplants in the Denver area. 
 
 Natural Gas.—Marketed natural gas decreased 14 percent in quantity
and 13 percent in value. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission7
reported natural gas production of 125.5 billion cubic feet, 5.6 percent
less than in 1966. 
 The four leading counties in marketed natural gas were unchanged: La Plata,

41.8 billion cubic feet; Rio Blanco, 18.8 billion; Moffat, 18.1 billion;
and Mesa, 
 
 7 The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission of the State of Colorado. Colorado
Oil and Gas Statistics, 1967. Part IL All field natural gas and petroleum
production figures cited in the chapter are from this work.