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Bill made a presentation to the North Carolina Coal Institute in Southern Pines, NC last Wednesday evening. WV DEP Secretary Randy Huffman, Terry Sammons and a representative of the Corps of Engineers were on the following morning’s program.
Friends of Coal spokesman Coach Don Nehlen will speak to a Chesapeake Energy Safety Meeting on Tuesday, October 25th in Teays Valley. He will also make a presentation to the combined Princeton/Bluefield Rotary Clubs on Friday, October 28th in Princeton.
We are coordinating a tour for students from a Marshall University Geography Class at Pritchard Mining’s operation on Tuesday, October 25th in Kanawha County.
Coach Nehlen and Coach Pruett will participate in the Southern regional meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) on November 15th in Beckley.
Chris and Jason will film this month’s edition of The Coal Seam on WV Public Broadcasting’s Library Channel on Tuesday, October 25th in Charleston. Topics will include the recent DC Circuit Court decision regarding EPA’s illegal rulemaking, developments pertaining to WV’s alternative bonding program and the Special Reclamation Fund, as well as the Association’s participation in Thursday’s Congressional Coal Caucus meeting in Washington.
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According to the EIA report, metallurgical exports for this past August (2011) were 33.6% ahead of those in August of last year, and steam coal exports were 34.6% ahead. Comparing 2011 year-to-date exports through August with last year, shows metallurgical shipments 18.2% ahead (45.9 million tons v. 38.8 million tons) and steam coal is nearly 69% ahead (24.6 million tons v. 14.6 million tons). 2011 year-to-date imports were off by more than 26% (9.5 million v. 13 million). West Virginia’s 2011 year-to-date production, through the week ending October 15th, was 3% ahead of last year (137.8 million tons v. 133.9 million tons).
The eight Appalachian states of WV, KY, VA, AL, TN, OH, PA and MD are producing more than a 1/3 of America’s coal, but that accounts for 64% of the value of all the coal mined in this country and these states have more than 70% of the coal miners in the United States.
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A resolution opposing mountaintop coal removal died last Monday (10/17) for lack of a second during the Wood County Commission meeting.
In August, the commission sponsored two separate public informational sessions on mountaintop coal removal, including opponents of the coal mining practice and a second with coal industry representatives.
Both WVCA President Bill Raney and Vice President Jason Bostic attended the County Commission meeting and pointed out the positive side of surface mining and its significance to Wood County. (See article: County takes no action on mining resolution)
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House Bill 2273, which for the first time sets minimum federal guidelines regulating coal ash while empowering the states to enforce them and authored by WV Representative David McKinley, passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Full press release regarding the subject legislation is attached.
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The U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia (court) ruled on Oct. 6 in National Mining Association v. Jackson that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unlawfully changed the permitting process for Clean Water Act (CWA) § 404 permits for coal mines. The court sided with the State of West Virginia and the National Mining Association (NMA) in challenging EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) actions that unlawfully obstructed the issuance of CWA permits and created a de facto moratorium on surface and underground coal mining within the Central Appalachian region and beyond. Apart from striking down a significant obstacle, EPA injected into the CWA § 404 permitting process, this decision should provide a valuable precedent to deter federal agencies from using informal guidance to alter regulatory procedures and impose new requirements.
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