West Virginia Coal Association hosts annual symposium

The chiefs of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Office of Surface Mining (OSM) will be among the federal and state officials on hand for the 2007 Coal Symposium, to be held Jan. 10-12 in Charleston.

The chiefs of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Office of Surface Mining (OSM) will be among the federal and state officials on hand for the 2007 Coal Symposium, to be held Jan. 10-12 in Charleston. The West Virginia Coal Association is hosting its annual symposium at the Charleston House Holiday Inn. MSHA Assistant Secretary Richard Stickler and OSM Acting Director Brent Walquist will speak on Thursday morning, Jan. 11, during a session that will be open to the media and registered participants. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin and Hal Quinn of the National Mining Association, will join Stickler and Walquist on the Thursday morning program. The symposium begins on Wednesday, with a morning mine safety and health workshop, followed by an afternoon workshop dealing with environmental issues Both sessions will be for registered participants only. Thursday morning session is the only one open to the media. The remainder of the three-day meeting will include updates on federal state legislative activities and on other mining-related issues.