NMA will host the State Associations on June 20-21 in their Washington, DC offices.  The heads of state associations will meet at 3 p.m. on  the 20th followed by a reception for members of Congress and key staffers from eastern bituminous coal states.  On June 21st, beginning at 8:30 a.m. a briefing for selected congressional staff members on key issues will begin the day’s agenda which follows:

            Overview of Eastern Coal Production 2007 – Bill Caylor, KY Coal & Bill Raney, WVCA

            Carbon Sequestration Technologies – George Ellis, PA Coal

            Coal to Liquids – Mike Carey, Ohio Coal

            Meeting with MSHA officials

            Compliance & Challenges of the MINER Act – Terry Hudson, Peabody Energy

            Mine Rescue – David Gooch, COA

            After Lunch

            Meet with U.S. Corps of Engineers

            Overview of Environmental Litigation – Jason Bostic, WVCA & Bob McLusky, JK

            Adjournment around 2 p.m.

   The Coal Edition of The State Journal will be published on June 29th.  Articles and ads have been submitted and we want to thank all of you who contributed to this publication.

 

The updated Association website is continuing to make progress and should be up and running around July 1st. Currently, plans for various interactive educational tools are in the works to help the community be exposed to the truth behind coal mining in West Virginia. The first project will consist of the many stages of the mine reclamation process and will use numerous photographs to help explain the process. We are excited to help educate people of all ages on the many misinterpreted aspects of such a fascinating industry.  

The Association joined the Mayor of Charleston, Danny Jones, WVU's new President-elect Mike Garrison, Putnam County Judge O.C. Spaulding  and other business officials on Wednesday, June 13, to welcome visitors from China's ShanxiProvince.  Coal and energy were the topics of interest as the Province produces some 600 million tons of coal each year. The delegation was led by Mr. Song Beishan, Vice Governor of Shanxi Province and included eight other high ranking Province officials.  The delegation began their visit in Morgantown and completed it on Thursday with a visit to Governor Manchin and a larger reception at the University of Charleston.    

 

Mr. LingHu Zhengce   Director General, Shanxi Development and Reform Commission

Mr.Qiao Liangsheng   Deputy Director General, Department of CommerceShanxiProvince;  Director General, Investment Promotion Agency, Shanxi Province

Mr.Guo Shufeng         Deputy Director General, Economic Commission, Shanxi Province

Mr.Li Anjin                    Director, General Office of the People’ Government Shanxi Province

Mr. Ren Xiaotong       Vice General Manager of Shanxi International Electric Power Group

Mr. Han Jincheng       Deputy Director Department of Commerce, Shanxi Province Chief Representative, Business Development, Organizing Committee of CICENEXPO

Ms.Jin Jun                  Section Chief, Department of Commerce, Shanxi Province Chief   Representative, Business Development, Organizing Committee of CICENEXPO

Mr.Zhang Pingyi   Board Chairman, Shanxi Rongsheng International Coal & Energy New Industry Exhibition Co., Ltd; Deputy Director General of the Office of the Organizing Committee, China (TaiYuan) International Coal & Energy New Industry EXPO (CICENEXPO)

Ms.Wang Kongrui      Consultant, Business Development of the Organizing Committee of CICENEXP

Next week's Tug Valley Mining Institute meeting will feature Association Board member Jim Bunn as the dinner speaker.  The June 21st dinner is being sponsored by Guyan Heavy Machinery at the Brass Tree Restaurant in Williamson, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

 

   Friends of Coal spokesmen Coach Bob Pruett, Jeremy Starks and Field Representative Mel Hancock have been making the rounds to promote the industry and the Friends of Coal.  Last week they attended the groundbreaking for the new visitors' center at the Beckley Exhibition Mine, an open house at Hughes Supply, bringing attention to the expansion and new location, and the dedication of Bobby Pruett Stadium in Beckley.  Mel has met with Narco, Phillips Machinery, Norfolk Southern, Nelson Brothers and Ranger Construction.  Jeremy and Mel also attended and participated in meetings with the Paint Creek and Kelly's Creek Watershed Associations and Mel will speak to the Beckley Quota Club on June 26th.  While they, as well as others, have been extremely busy in preparation for this year's YMCA Friends of Coal Auto Fair, they have obtained a half-dozen new members for the Association.  The energetic presence and promotion of the Friends of Coal is effectively spreading the word and expanding the support.

     West Virginia Coal gathered with association and company officials from Kentucky, Maryland, Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio in Washington for an aggressive two-day meeting this week.  The group's mission is to bring attention to the importance of the coal industry in these states to the nation and to express concern and interest in many activities occurring in DC.  The Wednesday night reception had good participation from the West Virginia delegation as did the Thursday morning briefing.  The group also met with MSHA Administrator Richard Stickler and his assistant Bob Friend as well as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Paul Woodley and several members of his staff.   The productive two days was held at National Mining's headquarters and helped the group to be updated on the fast moving legislative agenda of Congress that includes coal-to-liquids legislation and another MINER Act being introduced.  The consortium of eastern and mid-western states account for more than 42% of the nation's production while having nearly 80% of the country's coal miners and 47% of the known reserves.  The next meeting is tentatively planned for late July.

   The WVCA Mine Law & Safety Committee will hold a meeting on Monday, June 25, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Charleston Marriott in Salons A&B.  All member companies are welcome to attend but a confirmation of attendance is necessary by calling or e-mailing Sandi at 304/342-4153 or e-mail:  sdavison@wvcoal.com.

     Rebecca Johnson, wife of Bob Johnson, formerly Superintendent of Wolf Creek Collieries, Marrowbone Development & Fork Creek Mining, passed away on Tuesday, June 19 at her residence in Mt. Juliet.  Memorial gifts may be given to the Rebecca J. Johnson Cancer Research Assistance Fund at First Bank in Carmi, IL via the Campbell Funeral Home, 609 W. Main Street, Carmi, IL  62821.

Room reservations at The Greenbrier need to be made ASAP.  The hotel deadline is rapidly approaching and they want to release any remaining rooms in our block for other potential guests, so please give them a call at 304/536-1110 and ask for Gayle Hicks in reservations.  If you have not received your registration form from the Association please let me know and I’ll forward one via e-mail.

Again, thanks to Rish Equipment, we will have the Lovin’ Spoonful as our guest band for Saturday evening and it will be a casual affair for a change.  So get out that leisure wear and plan to have a great time.

...

   The third Annual July 20-22 Auto Fair is drawing near with Lonestar and Taylor Made as the featured acts, not to mention the many, many cars that will be available for viewing. 

   Mark your calendar and plan to attend this great Friends of Coal event.

A joint MSHA-NIOSH workshop on “Controlling Respirable Coal Mine Dust in Underground Mines” that will be held July 25, 2007 at the Beckley Academy.
The workshop will focus on continuous miner and roof bolter dust control techniques and include:

• Understanding and Detecting Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis and Silicosis
• Face Ventilation Best Practices
• Reducing Dust Generation and Optimum Suppression Techniques
• Flooded Bed Dust Scrubbers
• Roof Bolter Dust Control
• Dust Control Parameters for Special Mining Situations
• On-Shift Examination of Dust Control Parameters
  

Additional information can be obtained by contacting George Niewiadomski at (202) 693-9513 or by e-mail: niewiadomski.george@dol.gov

The 18th Annual Hatfield Open, sponsored by the Kanawha Valley Mining Institute, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 18 at the Brier Patch Golf Club in Beckley, WV beginning at 11 a.m.  This golf outing is to support the KVMI scholarship program and your participation is greatly appreciated, plus you have a GREAT time.

For full details go to:  http://www.kvmi.org/user/2007%20Golf%20Notice.pdf

SGS Minerals Services is proud to announce the renovation of our 30,000 square foot laboratory in Beckley, West Virginia is complete.

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.

Did you know that since 1863, West Virginia has mined nearly 13 billion tons of coal? And did you know that it takes one pound of coal to produce 1.25 kilowatt hours of electricity, which is power enough to light a 100-watt bulb for 10 hours?

Did you also know that West Virginia mines produced 159.5 million tons of coal last year, with 98.6 million of those tons coming from underground operations?

Those bits of information - and many more - are disclosed in Coal Facts 2006, a West Virginia Coal Association publication released today. Coal Facts is an annual, limited-run, magazine-style publication made available to media outlets and government agencies. Coal Facts highlights a multitude of diverse facts about the coal industry.

Andrew Jordon, president of Pritchard Mining Company, Inc., has been named chairman of the West Virginia Coal Association Board of Directors, Association President Bill Raney announced today.

Jordon, who is from Charleston, was officially named board chairman during the West Virginia Coal Association's annual meeting held last weekend. Jordon succeeds Randy Hansford, of Riverton Coal Production.

"We' re entering a year of great promise. And I think it's appropriate that the industry has chosen Andrew Jordon, a person earned respect throughout our industry, to lead the board," said Raney.

Twenty-five companies were recognized on Thursday for excellence in mine safety for 2006. The awards were made at the 34th Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium at the Charleston House Holiday Inn.

The awards are co-sponsored by the West Virginia Coal Association and the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety & Training. To be eligible, a mining operation must be free of fatal accidents for the year and then be nominated by their local state inspector, based on overall safety record, special safety programs and cooperation with state agencies.

Eighteen companies were recognized on Friday for excellence in mine reclamation for 2006. The awards were made at the concluding luncheon of the 34th Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium at the Charleston House Holiday Inn.

The awards are co-sponsored by the West Virginia Coal Association and the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection. To be eligible, a mining operation must be nominated by their local state inspector.