(8) Employee Benefits	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Compensation and Employee Benefit Plans [Text Block]	(8) Employee Benefits We have no defined benefit pension plans or any post-retirement benefit plans. We offer our employees a 401(k) Plan, where we match 100% of the first 4% that an employee contributes, a bonus plan based on meeting certain production levels and a discretionary Deferred Bonus Plan for certain key employees. We also offer health benefits to all employees and their families. We have 1,050 participants in our employee health plan. The plan does not cover dental, vision, short-term or long-term disability. These coverages are available on a voluntary basis. We bear some of the risk of our employee health plans. Our health claims are capped at $110,000 per person with a maximum annual exposure of $3.6 million. Our 2012 expense for the 401(k) matching was $0.617 million and our expense for health benefits was $3.6 million. Our 2011 expense for the 401(k) matching was $0.486 million and our expense for health benefits was $3.2 million. The 2012 expense for the Deferred Bonus Plan was $367,000 and the 2011 expense was $254,000. The expense for the production bonus plan was $684,000 for 2012 and $910,000 for 2011. Our mine employees are also covered by workers’ compensation and such costs for 2012 and 2011 were about $0.875 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system by which individuals who sustain work related injuries or occupational diseases are compensated. Benefits and coverage are mandated by each state which includes disability ratings, medical claims, rehabilitation services, and death and survivor benefits. Our operations are protected from these perils through insurance policies. Our maximum annual exposure is limited to $1 million per employee with a $4 million aggregate deductible. Based on discussions and representations from our insurance carrier we believe that our reserve for our workers’ compensation benefits is adequate. We have a safety conscious work force and our worker’s compensation injuries have been minimal. Our Carlisle mine has been in operation for six years.

(8) Employee Benefits

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Compensation and Employee Benefit Plans [Text Block]

(8) Employee Benefits

We have no defined benefit pension plans or any post-retirement benefit plans. We offer our employees a 401(k) Plan, where we match 100% of the first 4% that an employee contributes, a bonus plan based on meeting certain production levels and a discretionary Deferred Bonus Plan for certain key employees. We also offer health benefits to all employees and their families. We have 1,050 participants in our employee health plan. The plan does not cover dental, vision, short-term or long-term disability. These coverages are available on a voluntary basis. We bear some of the risk of our employee health plans. Our health claims are capped at $110,000 per person with a maximum annual exposure of $3.6 million. Our 2012 expense for the 401(k) matching was $0.617 million and our expense for health benefits was $3.6 million. Our 2011 expense for the 401(k) matching was $0.486 million and our expense for health benefits was $3.2 million. The 2012 expense for the Deferred Bonus Plan was $367,000 and the 2011 expense was $254,000. The expense for the production bonus plan was $684,000 for 2012 and $910,000 for 2011.

Our mine employees are also covered by workers’ compensation and such costs for 2012 and 2011 were about $0.875 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system by which individuals who sustain work related injuries or occupational diseases are compensated. Benefits and coverage are mandated by each state which includes disability ratings, medical claims, rehabilitation services, and death and survivor benefits. Our operations are protected from these perils through insurance policies. Our maximum annual exposure is limited to $1 million per employee with a $4 million aggregate deductible. Based on discussions and representations from our insurance carrier we believe that our reserve for our workers’ compensation benefits is adequate. We have a safety conscious work force and our worker’s compensation injuries have been minimal. Our Carlisle mine has been in operation for six years.