WV Coal Member Meeting 2024 1240x200 1 1

Charleston Gazette - November 10, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A group of music figures has begun a campaign against mountaintop coal removal.

The campaign, Music Saves Mountains, is sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Gibson Foundation. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a senior attorney with the council, addressed those attending a meeting Monday night.

Those at the gathering included Emmylou Harris, Randy Travis, Big Kenny Alphin, Dierks Bentley, Delbert McClinton, Kid Rock and J.D. Souther.

Harris said protection is needed for the Appalachian mountains, where country music was born and is celebrated in song.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin will lead a panel discussion on the impact that federal energy legislation has on Southern states Friday during the national meeting of The Council of State Governments in La Quinta, Calif.

More than 600 state policy makers and guests from around the country will be attending CSG’s annual meeting Thursday through Saturday. Manchin is the organizations 2009 president.

The session, “Securing the South’s Energy Future”, will also feature Kentucky State Rep. Rocky Adkins; Kenneth J. Nemeth, secretary and executive director of the Southern States Energy Board; Chris Hamilton, senior vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association and Rodney Andrews, director of the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research.

The focus of the session will be the future role fossil fuels and renewable energy sources will play in southern states. Other topics will include cellulosic ethanol production, lithium-ion batteries and coal-to-liquid technology.

The panel discussion will be one of more than 30 policy-related workshops and panels that will be held during the three-day CSG meeting on topics ranging from health care reform to education. For more information on this sessions and the others visit www.csg.org.

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The Council of State Governments is our nation’s only organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled regional, national and international opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate and create problem-solving partnerships.

In the wake of a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to subject 79 coal mining permit applications – twenty-three of which are in West Virginia – to further review, Speaker of the House Rick Thompson called on the EPA to speed up its permitting process and to work with coal operators to help them to comply with the Clean Water Act.

“It’s my understanding,” Thompson said, “that at least one of these permits has been under review for 10 years and will now be subject to even further study to determine if the project can go forward. I know that the EPA has an important job to do – but there’s an old and respected principal of law that states ‘justice delayed is justice denied.’ These coal companies – and the thousands of employees who work for them – deserve a process that is measured in days rather than decades and standards that all sides can follow and understand.”

Speaker Thompson praised Governor Joe Manchin’s leadership on this issues saying, “I support Governor Manchin’s efforts to get this process moving and to obtain clear-cut direction from the EPA. That is the right and fair thing to do.”

“The uncertainty and ambiguity that these companies are forced to contend with through the regulatory process are difficult in the best of times – but are simply unjustifiable and untenable in the midst of the worst economic recession we’ve experienced since the great depression” added Thompson. “We’re not saying that there should be no standards – we’re saying that the standards should be clear, unambiguous and attainable,” said Thompson.

“We all want, deserve and expect clean drinking water and a clean environment” said Speaker Thompson, “but we also want, deserve and expect the light, warmth and power provided by West Virginia coal. Energy and electricity are not luxuries – they’re a necessity. West Virginia coal companies and their hard working employees deserve a permitting process that operates more swiftly and less capriciously.”

Tactics Doom Cap and Trade in Senate 
 
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) today rammed a major energy-rationing bill through the committee, without the presence of any Republicans on her committee. (See news story)
 
Under Senate committee rules and precedent, two members of the minority are customarily required to make a quorum for marking up a bill. But Republicans balked at Democratic efforts to pass the energy tax-and-ration bill before a complete analysis of its economic impacts had been done by EPA.  The bill, S. 1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Security Act, was introduced by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.).  The chief co-sponsor is Chairman Boxer.
 

Wayne Towner
 
PARKERSBURG - In recent years, West Virginia has made progress in becoming a more business-friendly state but officials need to remain on course and continue making policy changes that improve the state's business climate, a statewide business group recommends.
The West Virginia Business and Industry Council (BIC) is holding regional meetings this week in Parkersburg and around the state to talk with business owners and state legislators about what has been done in the past and what still needs to be done.

The West Virginia Coal Association, the Friends of Coal and the Coalition for Mountaintop Mining are joining with the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce to host a Business/Coal Forum Luncheon on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 from 11:30 – 1:00 at the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, WV. 

The Forum will feature, Wheeling native and current Senior Vice-President, Chris Hamilton from the WV Coal Association.  Hamilton will lead an up to date discussion by prominent business and coal officials of relevant issues impacting area business and the coal industry. 

Forum topics will include Cap and Trade legislation, EPA’s action on new mining permits, severance taxes and issues affecting mining in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

For more information or to RSVP please contact Lisa Mullin at the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce by calling 304-233-2575. Please plan to attend this important meeting.

The West Virginia Coal Association, the Friends of Coal and the Coalition for Mountaintop Mining are joining with the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce to host a Business/Coal Forum Luncheon on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 from 11:30 – 1 p.m. at the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, WV.
          
The Forum will feature, Wheeling native and current Senior Vice-President of WVCA, Chris Hamilton.  Hamilton will lead an up-to-date discussion by prominent business and coal officials of relevant issues impacting area businesses and the coal industry.
           
Forum topics will include cap and trade legislation, EPA’s action on new mining permits, severance taxes and issues affecting mining in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
           
For more information or to RSVP please contact Lisa Mullin at the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce by calling 304.233.2575.

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The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training has announced that applications to take the examinations of Underground Mine Inspector are now being accepted.  All applications and the required work history must be completed and returned to the Charleston MHS&T office by November 30, 2009, for the Board to review for this exam.  The application can be obtained on the website:  www.wvminesafety.org or contacting the Charleston office at 304.957.2317.

There are still two dates available at the Charleston Marriott for company-sponsored legislative receptions for the dates of February 25 and March 4.  If your company would like to host one of the dates please contact Sandi (304) 342-4153 or e-mail:  sdavison@wvcoal.com to reserve the date.

The Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary wrapped up its first Coal in the Classroom program in the Raleigh County public schools with a field trip this week.
 
By The Associated Press
Advertiser
 
BECKLEY, W.Va.  -- The Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary wrapped up its first Coal in the Classroom program in the Raleigh County public schools with a field trip this week.
 
Its pro-coal curriculum was piloted at a private elementary school last year.
 
On Tuesday, Stratton Elementary School's fourth-grade class traveled to the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine for a firsthand look at an underground mine.
 

The following guest editorial by Hal Quinn is scheduled to appear in the Oct. 27th edition of USA TODAY in response to the paper's editorial on mountaintop mining. - L. Popovich

Seeing the Full Picture of Mountaintop Mining

Hal Quinn, president and CEO, National Mining Association

There are several ways to see mountaintop mining in Appalachia, but critics see only one - it's the picture of big shovels extracting coal in rugged terrain. What they don't see are the 80,000-plus jobs in a half dozen states throughout Appalachia that are tied to surface coal mining.

Officials from West Virginia University joined industry and other state government officials this past Friday to dedicate the university’s newest addition, a simulated underground coal mine that will be used to train mine rescue teams, new miners and others about the conditions in underground operations.

New WVU President Clements and other WVU officials officially dedicated the football field-sized facility in a grand opening ceremony.

West Virginia's economy depends on coal

I join in support of thousands of West Virginia residents requesting the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Obama Administration to approve the pending mine permits that have been put on hold. West Virginia's economy depends on coal. During this national recession, West Virginia needs to be producing coal in order to keep families working.

Association chief urges West Virginia’s to support state’s coal miners
 
West Virginia’s coal industry injects more than $7 billion dollars each year into the state’s economy. More than $2 billion of that is in payroll for the state’s active coal miners. Another $1 billion is paid in various taxes each year by the industry.  The remaining $4 billion reflects the overall investment of the industry in the state through equipment purchases, service contracts and other transactions. It does not reflect indirect economic contributions, such as our annual sponsorship of the Friends of Coal Bowl football game between Marshall University and West Virginia University.

This is an “update” to the earlier notice and is intended to draw attention to the Corps of Engineers’ public hearing in Knoxville, Tennessee since there is a need to attract a crowd in the state where their U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander has introduced legislation in Congress to do away with surface mining.  While there are a limited number of companies mining Tennessee coal there will likely be a large crowd of opponents at the hearing.
 
Friends of Coal are joining with the Eastern Coal Council to assist Dan Roling of National Coal Corp. in Tennessee and Chuck Laine of the Tennessee Mining Association in an effort to get as many coal supporters as possible to Knoxville.  The Eastern Coal Council has a bus leaving from Norton @ 1:p.m. Tuesday, October 13th.  People can park their cars on the Magic Mart’s parking lot near the guard rail. The bus will stop at United Coal’s office in Blountville to get folks from the TriCities area and then travel to Knoxville.  We will be joined by the TN people and then travel to the Convention Center.
 
 If you have questions or need additional information, please call Barbara or Marsha at 276-964-6363.
Barbara’s cell 276-970-5580 Marsha’s cell 276-210-7514.
 
We would appreciate anyone and everyone who could make the trip to support our brothers and sisters in Tennessee.  The Knoxville hearing will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center at 7:00 p.m.
 

The Coalition for Mountaintop Mining (www.mtmcoalition.com) will hold its next meeting October 8 beginning at 9 a.m. in the upstairs conference room of the Forbes Center at Northgate Business Park in Charleston. The meeting is scheduled to last from 9 a.m. to approximately noon.  Please plan to attend.

The Friends of Coal and the West Virginia Coal Association will have representatives and booths at two upcoming events – the annual Rocket Boys Festival in Coalwood, West Virginia on October 3, and Coal Appreciation Day at the West Virginia University of Technology in Montgomery on October 7. 
 
In addition, the West Virginia Coal Association and the Coalition for Mountaintop Mining are completing arrangements for additional Coal Forums to be held during October and/or early November in Wheeling and Martinsburg.  These events will provide the opportunity to educate the public in areas of the state not normally thought of as part of the coalfields about the role of coal in their communities.

Representatives of the West Virginia Coal Association and Friends of Coal were on hand earlier this month for the annual Bluefield Coal Show.  The event, which ran September 16-18 featured a range of exhibits and speakers. It was once again a huge success and is rapidly becoming one of the marquee events of the year for the coal industry.

The Kanawha Valley Mining Institute will hold its next meeting October 1, 2009 at the South Charleston Ramada Inn beginning at 6:30 pm.  Guest speaker for the event will be Kevin Strickland, MSHA Administrator.