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April 05, 2011

Source: Charleston Gazette

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Coal company Alpha Natural Resources Inc. is donating $300,000 for energy and environmental sciences research at West Virginia University.

The gift announced Tuesday is expected to qualify for matching funds from the state Research Trust Fund, bringing the total value to $600,000.

Dean Gene Cilento says WVU will use the money to focus on all aspects of energy research, from extraction to use.

Mining department director Jim Dean says the gift will support health and safety research, too, including the integration of new technologies.

WVU recently trained Alpha's mine rescue teams at its Academy for Mine Training and Energy Technologies.

Alpha, based in Abingdon, Va., is one of the nation's largest coal operators.

It's in the midst of a $7.1 billion takeover of rival Massey Energy Co.

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April 05, 2011

Source: Seattle pi

By: Tim Huber, AP Business Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Life-saving airtight refuge chambers stored deep inside the Upper Big Branch mine when an explosion tore it apart and killed 29 miners worked properly when tested last week, West Virginia's mine safety chief said Wednesday.

The refuge's steel boxes opened and the chambers inflated as designed when they were tested deep inside the southern West Virginia coal mine, said C.A. Phillips, director of the state office of Miners' Health Safety and Training. Officials from West Virginia, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration and Richmond, Va.-based mine owner Massey Energy Co. conducted the tests last Thursday.

 

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March 28, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) Tuesday appealed to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to examine EPA's Clean Water Act Guidance Memo affecting coal mine permitting in Appalachia before the April 1 deadline when the guidance is slated to be finalized.

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March 22, 2011

MARTINSBURG JOURNAL EDITORIAL -- The new, clearly more powerful than ever Environmental Protection Agency is expanding its reach.

For months, coal-state members of Congress have fought the EPA virtually alone. While The Journal has supported their efforts to ensure the coal industry's survival, some have questioned our position, noting that the Eastern Panhandle is not in the heart of the coal fields.
Some ask, why does it concern us?

Because the EPA expansion, as more Americans are coming to understand, is not just a threat to the coal industry. … read more.

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March 22, 2011

The next regular meeting of The Pocahontas Coal Association will be held Thursday, March 24th, 2011 at 6:00 PM at the Princeton Elks Club.

As is tradition during our March meeting, the Pocahontas Coal Association and the Bluefield Daily Telegraph will be presenting the Boys & Girls High School Basketball Player of the Week awards, as well as the Player of the Year awards. As always, please do your best to attend and please bring a guest. Contact Jason Fannin or Rick Taylor at276-623-2914 or 276-698-5317 with questions.