- Details
CEO, George C. Marshall Institute
Are EPA rules the reason the coal industry is declining? Or is natural gas and other market forces the cause? The very short answer is YES!
EPA’s new clean air rules are likely to become a course in the Law of Unintended Consequences. Although for this Administration and EPA, the unintended consequences will be the intended outcome. There is no subtlety to the Administration’s hostility to fossil energy. EPA has been carrying out the President’s objective with zest and vigor.
- Details
By Hal Quinn
President, National Mining Association
What’s Really Causing Coal’s Decline?
Let’s start by correcting the premise. The simplest answer to the question posed by The National Journal this week is “hyperbole” is behind the talk of coal’s “decline”. Like Mark Twain’s quip about his own demise, the news of coal’s decline is greatly exaggerated. It is, nonetheless, the cause for legitimate concern among those who value affordable electricity from a secure and abundant domestic energy source. So, let’s look at the question from a more dispassionate perspective.
First of all, the “decline-of-coal” that is now the subject of inside-the-Beltway chatter is very relative. From generating virtually half the nation’s electricity for a decade, coal is now generating 40 percent-plus. And with a 260-year supply of domestic coal under our feet, Americans will be relying on coal for the foreseeable future. That’s why the EIA’s most recent Outlook projects renewed growth in 2013.
- Details
Here in West Virginia and Ohio, we are well aware of the importance to our economies of coal and electricity from coal-fired power plants. And many area residents understand full well that if President Obama's administration is allowed to proceed with its war against coal, our monthly utility bills will skyrocket.
Clearly, that is not the situation everywhere, as Sen. Joe Manchin is coming to understand.
Manchin and a few other coal-state senators have been waging a lonely battle against the White House and its Environmental Protection Agency. This week, Manchin vowed once again to keep up the good fight.
- Details
"EPA’s claim that the statute contemplates that a permit is never really final is not easily squared with Congress’s clear desire to limit duplication and delay so that commerce would not be disrupted more than necessary. What would be the point of insisting upon expedition in granting permits if a permit isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on and commerce could be interrupted at any time?" U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson
-------------------------------
- Details
“Further Along the Road to Zero” is this year’s topic for the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce’s Coal Symposium scheduled for August 13-15 at the Quality Hotel and Conference Center (formerly Holiday Inn) in Bluefield, WV.
A limited number of tabletop exhibit spaces are available and PDH credits may be earned.
Golf will also be a option on Monday, August 13 at the Fincastle Country Club.
For more information contact the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce at (304) 327-7184 or e-mail: info@
Join Friends of Coal
Be part of West Virginia's coal industry future. Together, we can continue building a stronger, more prosperous Mountain State by supporting our miners and communities.
West Virginia Coal Association
The West Virginia Coal Association has been the voice of the coal industry for over 100 years, advocating for safe, responsible mining practices and supporting the communities that depend on coal.
Join the FOC
Become a Friend of Coal and download our app to stay connected and support the industry.
Recent Press
