WV Coal Member Meeting 2024 1240x200 1 1

 
The several of us here have been at work on this Christmas present for some time now, ever since our exchange of love notes with the contingent from Texas, who would rather all of us in Coal Country bowed down and accepted the fact that Coal isn't King, that he has even higher powers he must be compelled to serve.
 
We Three Stooges of Christmas say nuts to that, and attempt herein to bring you, everyone in Coal Country, some useful gifts. 
 
Just as the Nobel Committee affirmed, by awarding their Prize in Chemistry to Paul Sabatier, the better part of a century ago, Carbon Dioxide, as arises in a small way from our use of coal, relative to natural sources of CO2, such as volcanism and seasonal vegetative rot, can be reclaimed and recycled into materials of utility and value.
 
In the multiple ornaments, the several following links and excerpts, hung from this Christmas Day dispatch, we affirm Carbon Dioxide to be a by-product of  significant potential worth.
 
First up, via the report linked above, Japanese researchers inform us that valuable plastic can, indeed, be made with CO2.
 
As, follows:
 
"Significant Property Improvement of Plastic Made From Carbon Dioxide
 
Points

  • Development of high-performance material by using a composite of plastic made from carbon dioxide
  • Potential alternative to fossil resource derived plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene
  • Expected to contribute to global warming prevention as a technology for fixing and utilizing carbon dioxide massively emitted in and outside Japan

Summary

Hiroshi Shimizu and Li Yongjin (Research Scientist), the Nanostructured Materials Group, the Nanotechnology Research Institute, et. al., succeeded in greatly improving the mechanical properties, including elastic modulus and strength, of plastic (aliphatic polycarbonate) made from carbon dioxide. Plastic with excellent mechanical properties ... has been developed by using a composite of poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), a kind of aliphatic polycarbonate made from CO2 and propylene oxide, and other plastics. The PPC composite is a high-performance material demonstrating not only improved mechanical properties but also increased heat resistance, and it is expected to be a viable alternative to petroleum-based general-purpose plastics, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene."

Note: "polycarbonate made from CO2 ... is expected to be a viable alternative to petroleum-based general-purpose plastics".

"In PPC made from CO2, fixed CO2 accounts for 43% by weight. Although the ratio of fixed CO2 decreases to about 30% by weight by blending with other plastics to enhance its performance, this PPC composite has an advantage over general-purpose plastics in terms of reduced CO2 emission. In Japan, the amount of CO2 emitted from power plants and ironworks has reached a level of 500 million tons per year, calling for the urgent establishment of technologies for separation and fixation of CO2. Wide use of the newly developed PPC (CO2- based) composite as an alternative to general-purpose plastics is expected to contribute to global warming prevention and lead to reduced dependence on petroleum resources.

Social Background for Research

A synthetic scheme in which plastics are produced from CO2, which was discovered 40 years ago by Prof. Shohei Inoue (currently Professor of Tokyo University of Science), is receiving renewed attention as a technology for fixing and utilizing CO2, which is one of the measures to prevent global warming. While technological development of aliphatic polycarbonate has been at the basic research level in Japan, pilot plants for PPC production were built by the national budget and commercial mass production of PPC has already started in China. However, the mechanical properties of the produced PPC is still far from practical use and its appearance is similar to soft, sticky rubber rather than plastic, and, therefore, extensive improvement is required.

This time, we searched for effective ways to improve the mechanical properties of PPC. Taking into consideration the basic concept of improved material, we aimed at keeping the ratio of CO2 in the PPC composite at about 30 wt%. We hoped to greatly improve the mechanical properties by adding aliphatic polyesters as second and third ingredients, thus controlling the microstructure of the PPC composite."

-------

After an exposition of technical details, the authors conclude with:

"Future Schedule

We continue to pursue further improvement of the properties of PPC composite and also plan to apply the PPC composite to not only general structural materials but also film and packaging materials by making the most of its transparency and gas-barrier property, and to evaluate its performance as a practical material."

So, by productively recycling CO2, we can obtain "a practical material."

In addition to polycarbonate plastic, Japan has discovered that CO2 can also be used in the synthesis of polyurethane, a very versatile material employed in foams, coatings and myriad other applications, as revealed in:

Science Links Japan | Direct Synthesis of Urethane from Carbon Dioxide via Halogen-Free Process.

"Direct Synthesis of Urethane from Carbon Dioxide via Halogen-Free Process.

Author: Abla, M.; et. al., National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science - Japan
 
Journal: Nippon Kagakkai Koen Yokoshu; 2001; Vol. 79, No. 2, Page 1179
 
Abstract: At present, the most widely applied method for the synthesis of urethanes utilizes phosgene/isocyanate technology. From standpoint of green chemistry and clean process, a significant effort has been undertaken to find new way for synthesis of urethanes from carbon dioxide as an alternative process of the phosgene method. We have successfully synthesized urethanes with high yield and selectivity by the reaction of amines and alcohols in supercritical carbon dioxide(scCO2)."
 
Japan apparently sees great promise in sequestering CO2 via use in the synthesis of polyurethane plastics, as even more research has been devoted to that effort, and more progress has been made, as evidenced following:
 
 

"Nickel-Catalyzed Synthesis of Urethane from Carbon Dioxide, Amines, and Alcohols

Author: Abla, M.; et. al., National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science - Japan
 
Journal: Nippon Kagakkai Koen Yokoshu; 2003; Vol. 83, No. 2, Page 1068 
 
Abstract: A novel catalytic process for the urethane synthesis from carbon dioxide, amine, and alcohol was developed. Nickel complexes ... are efficient catalysts. The addition of acetals as a dehydrating agent is quite effective to improve urethane yield."
 
Japanese research led to the following, more "popularized", scientific press article, wherein the reporter(s) feel obliged to downplay the significance of these developments. Our rebuttal follows, some comment is interspersed: 
 
 
"Carbon dioxide turned into hydrocarbon fuel

A way to turn carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons has caused a big stir at an industrial chemistry conference in New Brunwick, New Jersey. Nakamichi Yamasaki of the Tokushima Industrial Technology Center in Japan says he has a process that makes propane and butane at relatively low temperatures and pressures.

While his work still needs independent verification, if he can make even heavier hydrocarbons, it might be possible to make petrol. It has carbon chains that are between five and 12 atoms long - butane is four atoms long.

The work suggests the tantalising prospect that CO2, the main greenhouse gas, could be recycled instead of being pumped into the atmosphere.

Many people have tried before to make hydrocarbons by mixing carbon with hydrogen gas in a reaction chamber at very high temperatures, but yields have always been pitiful. Yamasaki has used hydrochloric acid as his source of hydrogen ions."

(Hydrochloric acid as a hydrogen donor for carbon hydrogenation has been previously documented in our posts. It apparently works. And, it can be made in industrial quantities at reasonable cost, we submit without documentation, but on opinion formed by our research. It is a commodity. JtM)

"He bubbles the CO2 into a reaction vessel ... where it is heated to about 300 °C at 100 times atmospheric pressure. The heat and pressure are low enough, says Yamasaki, to make it feasible to scale up the reaction so it can run on a power station's waste heat."

(As other research we've documented for you suggests: Waste heat from coal-fired electricity generation can be harnessed to power the processes of recycling CO2 - either through direct chemical fixation and conversion, or via biomass reactors. - JtM)

"Iron powder

Using iron powder as a catalyst, Yamasaki says he has made substantial amounts of methane, ethane, propane and butane, which he was able to vent off as gases when the mixture cooled. If he can improve the catalyst's performance he is hopeful of making heavier hydrocarbons such as petrol, too."

(Most of those gasses, as we have elsewhere documented, can be catalyzed and converted into "heavier hydrocarbons". We don't need to be "hopeful". - JtM)

"William Siegfried, who has lead similar experiments at the University of Minnesota in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, says his group was only able to make methane at far higher temperatures. But his process also used a nickel-based alloy as a catalyst, rather than iron."

In other words, the dissenting US researchers persist, unsurprisingly, in outdated, and suspect, thinking and posturing.  The practical Japanese are undeterred. They continue pursuit of what should be our goal, as in:

Study on CO2 global recycling system. [Sci Total Environ. 2001] - PubMed result

"Study on CO2 global recycling system.

Takeuchi, M.: Sakamoto, Y.; Niwa, S.

Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, Soraka-gun, Kyoto, Japan.

In order to assist in finding ways to mitigate CO2 emission and to slow the depletion of fossil fuels we have established and evaluated a representative system, which consists of three technologies developed in our laboratory. These technologies were in CO2 recovery, hydrogen production and methanol synthesis and in addition we established the necessary supporting systems. Analysis of outline designs of the large scale renewable energy power generation system and this system and energy input for building plant, energy input for running plant has been conducted based on a case using this system for a 1000-MW coal fired power plant, followed by an evaluation of the material balance and energy balance. The results are as follows. Energy efficiency is 34%, the CO2 reduction rate is 41%, the balance ratio of the energy and CO2 of the system is 2.2 and 1.8, respectively, on the assumption that the primary renewable energy is solar thermal power generation, the stationary CO2 emission source is a coal-fired power plant and the generation efficiency of the methanol power plant is 60%. By adopting the system, 3.7 million tons of CO2 can be recovered, approximately 2.7 million tons of methanol can be produced, and 15.4 billion kWh of electricity can be generated per year. Compared to generating all electrical power using only coal, approximately 2.6 million tons of coal per year can be saved and approximately 2.15 million tons of CO2 emission can be reduced. Therefore, it is clearly revealed that this system would be effective to reduce CO2 emissions and to utilize renewable energy."

In other words, as we understand the overly-condensed abstract, and as we've documented to be under development by Rich Diver at Sandia National Laboratory, environmental energy can be combined with power plant waste heat to drive processes that capture CO2 and convert it into methanol, that we can then use as a liquid fuel, convert further into gasoline, or to make plastics - which permanently sequester the CO2.

Now, this dispatch has so far been a Japanese Christmas tree, because of all the ornaments from that country we've hung on it. But, since we mentioned that we do have some clear-headed and uncorrupted thinkers at one of our US National Labs, at least, there are some American spins to be added. We have belabored the point that power plant emissions of CO2 are dwarfed by natural sources of the gas, such as volcanoes, and that other human sources haven't been taken into consideration, either. Those human sources would include automotive exhaust, and at least one company figures that, if government and the big corporations won't recycle CO2, we'll just have to do it ourselves, as in:

 CO2 recycling system for automobiles  

"CO2 recycling system for automobiles

June 4, 2008 PDT

Origo Industries is set to reveal a new technology designed to capture and recycle a vehicle's CO2 emissions and produce fuel that can be used to re-power your car or even power your house.

The system captures on-board CO2 emissions and stores it for recycling through a home-unit that uses algae to produce bio-oil - up to 2500 liters per year according to the press release."

But, let's cut to the heart of it. We are going to continue using fossil fuels for the foreseeable future. Let's stop wasting time, and money, debating that issue. And, let's not attempt to punish our productive coal industries through extortions like Cap-and-Trade and Sequestration. It is far past time, as with the potentials for liquefying our vast domestic reserves of coal into the liquid fuels we're now being extorted for, that we assertively pursued genuinely productive alternatives, as in the following, thorough and cogent, and realistic, presentation:

"Carbon Recycling: An Alternative To Carbon Capture And Storage

June 9, 2009

By Rowan Oloman -- Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is being hailed as the answer to one of the globe’s most pressing questions: what to do with the 27 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted yearly from the burning of fossil fuels? Touted as the most promising interim solution to deal with the greenhouse gas responsible for global warming, CCS still remains unproven, costly and will not be commercially available for another 10-20 years. Meanwhile scientists are exploring alternatives to CCS by capitalizing on CO2 as a commodity instead of treating it as waste.

Twenty seven billion tons of CO2 is already a hefty number, but energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are projected to reach 43 billion metric tons per year by 2030, an increase of 60%. A new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that growing energy demands from emerging giants like China and India, coupled with a lack of cost-effective alternatives to fossil fuels, means that by 2050, 77% of the world’s power will still be derived from fossil fuels.

"We will require immediate policy action and a technological transition on an unprecedented scale,” IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said in Tokyo after releasing the report.

Carbon capture and storage, the process of capturing carbon dioxide and storing it in deep geological formations, in the ocean or as mineral carbonates, is being promoted by the IEA and others as the most promising technology to deal with fossil-fuel derived emissions. Not negating the role of alternative energies, the IEA is merely realistic about the enduring use of fossil fuels and the urgent need to deal with the resulting carbon dioxide.

On May 15, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced at the National Coal Council that $2.4 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used to expand and accelerate the commercial deployment of carbon capture and storage technology, including financing to train a generation of engineers and geologists to work in the field.

Chu said, "To prevent the worst effects of climate change, we must accelerate our efforts to capture and store carbon in a safe and cost-effective way." Governments in Europe, Australia, Canada and China are also strongly investing in the technology.

Nevertheless, several massive hurdles still stand in the way of full-scale CCS deployment.

Consulting firm McKinsey & Co. figures that adding CCS to the next generation of European power plants could lift their price by up to US$1.3 billion each. Their thorough analysis shows that the typical cost of a demonstration project is likely to be in the range of US$80-$120 per tonne of CO2 sequestered.

Legally, there are concerns over whether CO2 transport and long-term storage present human or ecosystem related risks and who is ultimately responsible if a leak occurs. While progress is underway in some countries, no country has yet developed the comprehensive, detailed legal and regulatory framework that is necessary to effectively govern the use of CCS.

In fact, no full-scale CCS project that captures and sequesters carbon dioxide from a coal-fired power plant as of yet exists. The IEA is hopeful that 10 full-scale demonstration plants will be up and running globally by 2015 meaning it may be 10 to 20 years before CCS technology is readily available.

So why expensively transport and store the CO2 underground when it could be profitably recycled post-capture?

Researchers and start-up companies are now investigating a wide range of CO2 conversion methods.

“The market is open for innovation,” states Larry Kristof, CEO of Mantra Energy, a company gaining international recognition in the field of carbon recycling. “It is likely that governments will soon legally mandate carbon capture from industrial plants and there needs to be a cost-effective way to implement it,” says Kristof.

Mantra’s technology, named the electro-reduction of carbon dioxide (ERC), aims to take CO2 directly from industrial waste gases and convert it to formate salts and/or formic acid, both valuable chemicals used in a variety of industrial applications. Formic acid also has the potential to play a leading role in fuel cell development, both as a direct fuel and as a fuel storage material for on-demand release of hydrogen.

The ERC technology could provide a net revenue of up to US$700 per tonne of CO2 recycled, with an ROI previously forecast at 20% per year, depending on local costs.

Compared with CCS, the ERC provides a positive return on investment, not an unrecoverable cost. Plus a demonstration ERC unit could be installed at a client’s premises within a year and a commercial plant within 2 years, much faster than for CCS.

In a speech to the United States Senate Margie Tatro, Director of Fuel and Water Systems at Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy run research center formed to develop science-based technologies that support national security, advocates that carbon recycling is the way of the future.

“We must act now to stimulate this area of research and development. Other countries are exploring reuse and recycling of CO2 and it would be unfortunate if the U.S. became dependent on imported technology in this critical area,” says Tatro.

Carbon recycling options being developed globally vary considerably. The range includes the biochemical conversion of CO2 into algal biofuel, the thermochemical conversion into methanol and the biocatalytic or solar photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to fuels. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages and some are more believable than others.

At this stage, what sets Mantra and a handful of others apart is that it has a publicly disclosed patent application, backed up by several technical articles in reputable journals and has already established market interest for their products.

As fear of climate change grips the globe, businesses and governments are desperate to find an answer to our CO2 problem. Relying solely on CCS is an incredibly risky and in many places unworkably expensive solution. More imaginative thinking shows us that the 27 billion metric tons of CO2 per year may actually represent a business opportunity.

A budding industry, carbon recycling for profit offers an exciting and viable alternative to carbon capture and storage programs. Without a doubt, as a portfolio of solutions will have to be developed to address climate change, carbon recycling is destined to be at the forefront."

------------

Think about it: We can, with some investment, recycle CO2. It can be a resource for us. Otherwise, we can sequester CO2, at a cost of "US$80-$120 per ton", and still pay exorbitant prices for overseas oil, and hobble our coal-use industries with unproductive costs.

We are compelled to repeat one passage: "Relying solely on CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage, with the enforced subsidy of petroleum industry it entails), is an incredibly risky and in many places unworkably expensive solution. More imaginative thinking shows us that the 27 billion metric tons of CO2 per year may actually represent a business opportunity."

When it comes to solutions for the possible problem of climate change, potentially contributed to by human-based CO2 emissions, let's leave the outdated thinking of Secretary Chu, et.al., behind, and use instead "imaginative", though practical, "thinking" and realize that Carbon Dioxide "may actually represent a business opportunity", that "carbon recycling for profit offers an exciting and viable alternative to carbon capture and storage", and, that, when it comes to addressing theoretical anthropomorphic "climate change, carbon recycling is destined to be at the forefront."

The Register-Herald

By The Associated Press

Lumps of coal in a Christmas stocking would normally make a child cry.

But an eight-year-old Louisiana girl has had visions of coal dancing her in head. She will wake up this morning to find West Virginia coal under her tree — coal she actually requested from Santa Claus.

Moss Bluff, La., resident Randy Perkins said his eight-year-old daughter Devan learned about the benefits of coal — like how it provides heat and electricity for so many people’s homes. Devan fell in love with coal so much that she asked for it for her Christmas present — telling Santa Claus to forget about the toys for which she had asked.

The Wall Street Journal

By Nigel Lawson

The world's political leaders, not least President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, are in a state of severe, almost clinical, denial. While acknowledging that the outcome of the United Nations climate-change conference in Copenhagen fell short of their demand for a legally binding, enforceable and verifiable global agreement on emissions reductions by developed and developing countries alike, they insist that what has been achieved is a breakthrough and a decisive step forward.

Just one more heave, just one more venue for the great climate-change traveling circus—Mexico City next year—and the job will be done.

Or so we are told. It is, of course, the purest nonsense. The only breakthrough was the political coup for China and India in concluding the anodyne communiqué with the United States behind closed doors, with Brazil and South Africa allowed in the room and Europe left to languish in the cold outside.

Click to read rest of story

December 22, 2009

The "Science" Mantra

By Thomas Sowell

Science is one of the great achievements of the human mind and the biggest reason why we live not only longer but more vigorously in our old age, in addition to all the ways in which it provides us with things that make life easier and more enjoyable.

Like anything valuable, science has been seized upon by politicians and ideologues, and used to forward their own agendas. This started long ago, as far back as the 18th century, when the Marquis de Condorcet coined the term "social science" to describe various theories he favored. In the 19th century, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels distinguished their own brand of socialism as "scientific socialism." By the 20th century, all sorts of notions wrapped themselves in the mantle of "science."

ACTION ALERT!
 
Radicals try to silence Ladies Auxiliary’s “Coal in the Classroom” Series
Please contact the Beckley Register-Herald and show your support for coal
                           
(Read the story below) or go to this link:  http://www.register-herald.com/archivesearch/local_story_349224151.html
 
We urge you to contact the Beckley Register-Herald and register your support for the use of the Ladies’ Auxiliary “Coal in the Classroom” curriculum. Let them know our children deserve a balanced perspective of our state’s primary industry.

...

By George Hohmann

The Charleston Daily Mail Business Editor

ROANOKE - The senior vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association said that if energy independence and national security are at the apex of the nation's energy agenda, "we think positive things will follow.

 "But when you start with items such as cap-and-trade legislation, expanding the energy portfolio to unrealistic quantities and focusing on climate change, all that follows will be negative and restrictive for coal and your basic industries."

Charleston Gazette - Op/Ed by Roger Nicholson - November 30, 2009

The Gazette's coverage of the meeting between Gov. Manchin and other governmental leaders and some coal industry officials on Nov. 10 was noteworthy in a couple of respects.

First, anti-mining activist Judy Bonds candidly revealed the true extreme agenda of groups like the Sierra Club and the Coal River Mountain Watch. Bonds expressly stated the desire for a complete federal takeover of our state government, when she said, "the federal government needs to come in and take over the state of West Virginia, all the way from the governor to the dog catcher."

It is rare indeed when anti-mining advocates reveal their true aims, and Bonds' candid comment is quite telling. Unfortunately, most of the pronouncements from anti-mining groups twist the facts and weave tales designed to lure high-profile liberal foundations and Hollywood stars to join their single-minded pursuit.

Oft-repeated myths propounded by these groups include:

·  Claims that neither they nor the Obama EPA seek to ban underground mining. In truth, the EPA has targeted 79 permits for "enhanced review" and potential veto, including deep-mining related permits. Moreover, environmental activists are stridently contesting a deep-mining permit in Northern West Virginia that would create 300 new jobs.

·  Claims that wind projects can effectively replace coal mining jobs. To the contrary, each surface mining operation will typically employ more than 100 people for several years at wages exceeding $60,000 annually with excellent benefit packages. Wind projects involve short-term construction work followed by a handful of maintenance workers.

·  Claims that coal currently being surface-mined can be mined by underground methods instead. One need only read Gene Kitts' excellent post, "Why We Surface Mine" on the Coal Tattoo blog (link online: http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/07/23/special-guest-blog-exclusive-why-surface-mine/ ), to understand the economic foundation for surface mining.

The other interesting point from the Gazette's coverage was Congressman Nick Rahall's continued insistence that Obama's EPA is just "doing its job." EPA's actions (and inaction) belie Rep. Rahall's stubbornly held view.

Consider the following:

·  In the spring of 2009, the EPA publicly stated that there was no moratorium on the issuance of Section 404 permits generally necessary for both surface- and deep-mining operations. Since that announcement, a grand total of two individual permits have been issued by the Army Corps of Engineers in West Virginia. The EPA may not call this a moratorium, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... well, you know the rest.

·  In June 2009, EPA announced the framework for a new "enhanced review" of existing permit applications and promised timely review. Since then, as of Nov. 9, enhanced review has begun on only five of the 79 permits.

At that rate, it will take years for affected coal producers to receive feedback on their permits.

·  EPA is attempting to revoke a long-issued Arch Coal permit for an active surface-mining operation. That permit underwent a multi-year environmental impact study, which EPA then accepted, but the government now seeks to renege on its prior approval.

·  EPA's "job" appears to be implementing the goals of the Pelosi and Reid wing of the Democratic Party to end mining and consumption of coal.

 Any business, particularly a capital-intensive one, needs to know the rules and have the assurance that those rules won't change day-to-day. Ken Ward says there's no permitting crisis; he's wrong. Just because the large publicly traded companies have been able to adjust their business plans to avoid major disruptions doesn't mean a crisis does not exist. Ask the smaller independent operators, who typically have no choice but to shut down when their next permit is blocked, if there's a crisis in the coalfields.

If a bridge is out, you don't drive full-speed in the hope that the bridge will be there when you arrive. The bridge is out. Those of us who rely on the coal industry for our livelihoods, our electricity and our quality of life should demand that our government agencies and our elected officials heed our concerns.

Nicholson is general counsel for International Coal Group.

(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Thompson, and Delegate Armstead

 
)

[By Request of the Executive] 

[Introduced November 19, 2009] 
 

Expressing the will of the House of Delegates to continue its support of the West Virginia coal industry and requesting that West Virginia's congressional delegation resist and oppose efforts to undermine the future of West Virginia coal.

 
Whereas, The coal industry provides salaries and benefits to thousands of West Virginians; and 
Whereas, The coal industry is responsible for millions of dollars of tax revenues that are used to fund important government services and programs; and 
Whereas, The coal industry is vitally important to the economic welfare of this State and its citizens; and 
Whereas, The Legislature, with the leadership and support of the Governor, has worked to enact legislation to ensure the future of West Virginia coal, including the adoption of sweeping coal mine safety reforms, planning requirements for post-mining land use, an alternative and renewable energy portfolio featuring clean coal technology, and a regulatory framework for carbon capture and sequestration projects; and 
Whereas, Recent events at the federal level, most notably the debate over "cap and trade" legislation in Congress and obscure regulatory actions by the Environmental Protection Agency, are casting a shadow of doubt and uncertainty over the future of the coal industry in West Virginia; and 
Whereas, For the sake of those individuals who depend upon coal to support themselves and their families, the House of Delegates, the Senate, the Governor and West Virginia's congressional delegation must work together to secure the future of the coal industry, and with it the future of the State; therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Delegates: 
That the West Virginia House of Delegates will continue to support the West Virginia coal industry by encouraging measures that protect miners and their families, provide incentives for the development of advanced coal technologies, enhance the energy independence of the State and the nation, protect the environment from which coal is mined, and supply consumers with cleaner and more affordable energy produced from coal; and, be it 
Further Resolved, That the West Virginia House of Delegates requests that West Virginia's congressional delegation resist and oppose efforts at the federal level to undermine the future of West Virginia's coal industry; and, be it  
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to United States Senators Robert C. Byrd and John D. Rockefeller IV and Representatives Nick J. Rahall, Alan B. Mollohan and Shelley M. Capito.

(By Senators Tomblin (Mr. President), Bowman, Browning, Chafin, Edgell, D. Facemire, Fanning, Foster, Green, Helmick, Jenkins, Kessler, Laird, McCabe, Minard, Oliverio, Palumbo, Plymale, Prezioso, Snyder, Stollings, Unger, Wells, White, Williams, Yost, Barnes, Boley, Caruth, Deem, K. Facemyer, Guills, Hall and Sypolt) 
 

Expressing the will of the Senate to continue its support of the West Virginia coal industry and requesting that West Virginia's congressional delegation resist and oppose efforts to undermine the future of West Virginia coal.

 
Whereas, The coal industry provides salaries and benefits to thousands of West Virginians; and 
Whereas, The coal industry is responsible for millions of dollars of tax revenues that are used to fund important government services and programs; and 
Whereas, The coal industry is vitally important to the economic welfare of this state and its citizens; and 
Whereas, The Legislature, with the leadership and support of the Governor, has worked to enact legislation to ensure the future of West Virginia coal, including the adoption of sweeping coal mine safety reforms, planning requirements for post-mining land use, an alternative and renewable energy portfolio featuring advanced coal technology and a regulatory framework for carbon capture and sequestration projects; and 
Whereas, Recent events at the federal level, most notably the debate over "cap and trade" legislation in Congress and obscure regulatory actions by the Environmental Protection Agency, are casting a shadow of doubt and uncertainty over the future of the coal industry in West Virginia; and 
Whereas, For the sake of those individuals who depend upon coal to support themselves and their families, the House of Delegates, the Senate, the Governor and West Virginia's congressional delegation must work together to secure the future of the coal industry and with it the future of the state; therefore, be it 
Resolved by the Senate: 
That the Senate hereby expresses its will to continue its support of the West Virginia coal industry and requests that West Virginia's congressional delegation resist and oppose efforts to undermine the future of West Virginia coal; and, be it 
Further Resolved, That the Senate will continue to support the West Virginia coal industry by encouraging measures that protect miners and their families, provide incentives for the development of advanced coal technologies, enhance the energy independence of the state and the nation, protect the environment from which coal is mined and supply consumers with cleaner and more affordable energy produced from coal; and, be it 
Further Resolved, That the Senate requests that West Virginia's congressional delegation resist and oppose efforts at the federal level to undermine the future of West Virginia's coal industry; and, be it  
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to United States Senators Robert C. Byrd and John D. Rockefeller IV and Representatives Nick J. Rahall, Alan B. Mollohan and Shelley M. Capito.

The recent special legislative session convened by Governor Manchin on November 13th concluded today with actions on three pieces of legislation important to the West Virginia coal industry.
 
Two Resolutions, Senate Resolution 407 and House Resolution 402 generally set forth and expressed the will of the Legislature to continue its support of the West Virginia coal industry and to further request the State’s Congressional Delegation to resist and oppose efforts to undermine the future of West Virginia coal.  Both resolutions were adopted by their respective body yesterday. 
 
HB 408, pertaining to the State’s Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act, as introduced, purported to revise some of the definitions related to “advanced coal technologies” that were contained in the original Act. The legislation, as amended today in the House of Delegates, limits credits awarded for super critical technology and creates and allows credits awarded for advanced super critical technologies. The bill also contains provisions for additional advanced clean coal technologies to be qualified by the WVPSC and further requires a study of the economic impact of the Act on coal and coal mining.
 
The study is to be concluded by 2012 prior to the Act’s phase-one compliance target of 2015.
 
For copies of the Resolutions or HB 408 contact jbostic@wvcoal.com or chamilton@wvcoal.com

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is considering emergency amendments to the State’s surface mining regulatory program that would allow companies to establish trust accounts as acceptable bonding coverage to fund the long-term treatment of post-mining drainage. The amendment is designed to allow mining operators in West Virginia to use trust accounts as established by the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) in final rule for the Tennessee regulatory program (administered by OSM) that was published in March 2007. The proposed emergency rule is intended to specifically mirror the federal language from the Tennessee federal program by authorizing voluntary trust accounts for the purpose of long-term water treatment situations.  The emergency rule has not yet been filed but we expect sometime later this month.  For a copy of the proposed emergency rule contact jbostic@wvcoal.com

Earlier this week the Department of the Interior on behalf of the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) announced the federal agency is undertaking revisions to its program for oversight of state-delegated surface mining regulatory programs.
 
More information regarding the announcement is available at http://www.osmre.gov/topic/Oversight/SCM/ImprovementActions.shtm#discussionpapers

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The Executive Committee at its meeting on Tuesday accepted the following new Associate Members into the Association and WV Coal Alliance:
            
Bio-Chem Testing, Inc., Mukesh Shah, representative; Enterprise Fleet Management, Sean V. Jimenez, Senior Account Executive; FMC Technologies, Inc., Bob Coon, Product Manager Underground; Global Mine Service, Inc., Timothy Smith, Vice President; Lee Supply Co., Inc., Bob Gentry; and, West Electric & Machine Co., Inc., Willis “Bud” West, President.
           
Welcome to all!

The Kanawha Valley Mining Institute (KVMI) will again be awarding the Charles W. Bowling Scholarships. Applications are available on the KVMI website,http://www.kvmi.org/Scholarships.html, and must be received by the KVMI no later than December 3, 2009. Awards will be granted at the February 2010 KVMI meeting.

The Washington Coal Club (WCC) will feature Senator Rockefeller’s Senior Climate Adviser, Tom Dower, at its next luncheon program on Wednesday, November 18th.   The luncheon will be held in Charlie Palmers at 101 Constitution Avenue, NW in Washington, the same building where NMA is located.  If you are able to attend, please contact Anne Jacob by email at ajacob@nma.org.

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