Profile
Christopher 'Chris' Cline (born July 5, 1958) is an American mining entrepreneur and philanthropist. As of March 2013, he is the majority owner of privately held Foresight Reserves LP, headquartered in Palm Beach, Florida. Regarded by Bloomberg as the New King Coal, Cline is considered responsible for reviving the Illinois coal industry. His company has more than three billion tons of coal reserves across Illinois and the Northern Appalachia.
Biography
Cline's grandfather mined for coal with a pickax around Beckley, West Virginia in the early 20th century. At the age of six, Cline's father, Paul, asked him to fill a paper bag with dirt, paying him a penny for each bag. Cline dug the dirt from under the porch of their bungalow in Isaban, West Virginia. His father used the dirt bags in mine-blasting. Within two years, their porch had collapsed. According to Cline, his father had told him to 'support the roof better'. In 1980, Cline's father bought out his partner then gave the shares to Cline, who was then 21 years old. At that time, he was studying psychology at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Mine Games, which has five staterooms and has its own submarine, was designed and built by Gulf Coast-based Trinity Yachts, owned by entrepreneur and philanthropist Felix Sabates.
Philanthropy
The Herald-Dispatch has praised Cline's philanthropy in its July 26, 2011, editorial, commenting that Cline 'has not forgotten his roots'.
On May 26, 2011, the School of Medicine and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics of West Virginia University received a US$5 million donation from Cline through his Cline Family Foundation. The donation also created the Christopher Cline Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery.
On July 20, 2011, Marshall University received a donation of $5 million from the Cline Family Foundation for sports medicine research. The donation was announced during a fundraising event held at Cline's Beckley home.
Threats against family
On August 20, 2012, Vivek Shah who?|date=March 2013 was arrested for the attempted extortion of Chris Cline, Harvey Weinstein, and three other unnamed individuals. On or around June 26, 2012, Shah threatened to kill members of Cline's family if $13 million was not wired to an offshore bank account. A seven-count felony indictment against Shah was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles during the last week in September 2012.
Investing in Illinois coal
Illinois holds a 250-year supply of coal, providing the state with the largest recoverable coal reserve in the United States. The state's coal industry is valued at almost $1 billion, with coal mining operations across 12 counties. One pound of Illinois coal, described as bituminous, can produce one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Cline, spending $300 million on mining rights and equipment in Illinois, had foreseen that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would require power plants to use scrubbers in removing pollutants. Illinois coal has too much sulfur to be safely burned by most power plants. Eventually, the coal mining division of the Cline Group acquired Exxonmobil's Monterey No. 1 mine, and developed Sugar Camp, Hillsboro, and the Macoupin complex.
SNL Financial reported in 2008 that Deer Run coal mine in Montgomery County, Illinois, a project of Cline's Hillsboro Energy LLC, would produce up to 8 million tons annually until 2016. In the same report, representatives for Cline said that he was aiming for an annual coal production of 60 million tons from Illinois alone.
Opposition
Illinois environmental groups, and landowners, have attempted to block Cline's coal mine permitting and also sought to draw attention to his local political contributions.
Promoting coal for cheap power
Cline said that humankind will benefit more from cheap and abundant energy than from overreacting to what he calls minimal increases so far in atmospheric CO2 and the level of the world’s oceans. In an interview with Bloomberg, Cline said 'As far as the social acceptability of coal, I like to think I’m part of supplying the cheapest energy in America.'
Source @ Wikipedia
Former positions of Christopher Cline
Companies | Position | End |
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Foresight Reserves LP
Foresight Reserves LP CoalEnergy Minerals Foresight Reserves LP engages in the development and operation of coal mines. The company has operations of coal reserves in the Illinois and Northern Appalachian coal basins. The company is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. | Corporate Officer/Principal | 2019-07-03 |
FORESIGHT ENERGY LP | Founder | 2017-03-27 |
Foresight Energy LLC
Foresight Energy LLC Electric UtilitiesUtilities Foresight Energy LLC engages in the provision of renewable energy consultation services. The company was founded by Chris Cline on December 28, 2010 and is headquartered in Jefferson City, MO. | Founder | - |
The Cline Group LLC
The Cline Group LLC CoalEnergy Minerals The Cline Group LLC acquires and develops coal reserves. The company was founded Christopher Cline in 1990 and is headquartered Palm Beach Gardens, IL. | Founder | - |
Murray Energy Corp.
Murray Energy Corp. CoalEnergy Minerals Murray Energy Corp. explores coal mines. It operates mines in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. The firm engages in mining, producing, and supplying bituminous coal to electricity. The company was founded by Robert Emmett Murray in 1988 and is headquartered in St. Clairsville, OH. | Director/Board Member | - |
Experiences
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1st degree connections
1st degree companies
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Linked companies
Listed companies | 1 |
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NATURAL RESOURCE PARTNERS L.P. | Energy Minerals |
Private companies | 6 |
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Foresight Reserves LP
Foresight Reserves LP CoalEnergy Minerals Foresight Reserves LP engages in the development and operation of coal mines. The company has operations of coal reserves in the Illinois and Northern Appalachian coal basins. The company is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. | Energy Minerals |
Foresight Energy LP
Foresight Energy LP CoalEnergy Minerals Foresight Energy LP engages in the production and marketing of thermal coal. It specializes in the operation and development of mining complexes with long wall mining systems. The firm has its operations in in the Illinois basin region. The company was founded by Chris Cline on January 26, 2006 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. | Energy Minerals |
Murray Energy Corp.
Murray Energy Corp. CoalEnergy Minerals Murray Energy Corp. explores coal mines. It operates mines in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. The firm engages in mining, producing, and supplying bituminous coal to electricity. The company was founded by Robert Emmett Murray in 1988 and is headquartered in St. Clairsville, OH. | Energy Minerals |
The Cline Group LLC
The Cline Group LLC CoalEnergy Minerals The Cline Group LLC acquires and develops coal reserves. The company was founded Christopher Cline in 1990 and is headquartered Palm Beach Gardens, IL. | Energy Minerals |
Foresight Energy LLC
Foresight Energy LLC Electric UtilitiesUtilities Foresight Energy LLC engages in the provision of renewable energy consultation services. The company was founded by Chris Cline on December 28, 2010 and is headquartered in Jefferson City, MO. | Utilities |
Foresight Energy GP LLC
Foresight Energy GP LLC CoalEnergy Minerals Part of Foresight Energy LP, Foresight Energy GP LLC is a leading producer of thermal coal with over 2 billion tons of coal reserves, sufficient to support over 75 years of production at their current level. The private company is based in St. Louis, MO, and Robert Dean Moore has been the CEO since 2015. The company operates three mining complexes in the United States and has invested heavily in logistics to provide multiple modes of transportation to the end-users of their coal, including rail, barge, and trucks. Foresight Energy GP aims to be low cost on a delivered basis and has the ability to access multiple rail carriers. | Energy Minerals |
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