Accounting for Coal and Mining Companies in Kentucky
Accounting for coal and mining operators in Southeastern Kentucky from a CPA with 20+ years inside the industry: cost reporting, severance and excise taxes, fixed assets, EIA filings, audit readiness, and controller-level oversight.
I spent more than twenty years in coal and mining finance in Southeastern Kentucky: thirteen as Accounting Manager for TECO Coal, seven leading accounting for Alden Resources, and two as Controller for Catalyst Resources. I handle cost reporting, severance and excise taxes, fixed asset records, federal filings, and audit readiness for operators that need controller-level work without a full-time controller.
Work I've done inside the industry
At TECO Coal I managed tax compliance, internal controls, and federal and state reporting for a subsidiary with more than $200 million in revenue, handled severance and excise taxes and multi-state filings, managed tangible property taxes on $124 million of fixed assets, and helped with SEC filings. At Alden Resources I oversaw capital spending across processing plants, surface mines, and underground mines, kept the company SOX compliant, and consolidated financials with a publicly traded parent. At Catalyst I ran the whole accounting operation for three affiliated companies.
What a coal operator gets from me
Monthly cost reporting by mine and by cost center. Severance tax and the federal excise tax on coal, filed on time. Fixed asset and depreciation records that hold up for property tax and for your lender. EIA and other federal reporting. Budgets and forecasts your owners or investors can plan around. Payroll for crews and salaried staff. And books that are ready when the auditors show up.
For a smaller operator, I can be the controller without the salary. For a larger one, I can take specific work off the controller's plate, like tax filings, fixed assets, or audit prep.
Why it's hard to find locally
There aren't many accountants left in the region who have actually worked inside a coal company. The reporting is specific, the taxes are specific, and the audits are demanding. I've done all of it from the inside for most of my career.
Chris Bingham, CPA, MBA
Licensed Kentucky CPA. I spent more than twenty years as an accounting manager and controller for coal and manufacturing companies, and I’ve worked in Southeastern Kentucky since 1996. These days I keep the books for churches, nonprofits, coal operators, and small businesses across the region.
What people ask.
If your question isn’t here, call and ask. I’d rather talk it through than have you guess.
Yes. That's a common arrangement for operators that need controller-level judgment but not a full-time salary.
Related pages.
Want to talk it over?
Call, email, or send a note. Tell me a little about your church or business and I'll get back to you.