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Despite coal production slowing and severance taxes heading downward, state sales tax revenues are surprisingly high, according to West Virginia Deputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow. He says withholding taxes are up more than nine percent and personal income tax and sales tax revenues were both above where state officials estimated they would be for the month. Muchow says he expects coal production to continue to slow through 2012 and into the next fiscal year. The state's general revenue fund had an $8.6 million shortfall in March, but according to Muchow the state is still on track for a sizable surplus this year. For more click here
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Federal actions meant to limit the mining and burning of Appalachian coal are reaching unprecedented levels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining and other agencies are seemingly doing all they can to put the coal industry – and the economic benefits it provides to our state and region – out of business.
U. S. Senator Joe Manchin will be the featured speaker for a Roundtable Discussion on the Impact of the Federal Government on the Appalachian Coal Industry on Wednesday, April 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Walker Training Building at Walker Machinery in Belle, WV.
Hosted by FACES of Coal, in conjunction with the WV Coal Association and Friends of Coal, the event seeks input from coal economy stakeholders to discuss and determine the effect of EPA, OSM and other federal agencies policies on the West Virginia and Appalachian economy.
Given your role in West Virginia’s coal economy, your input is needed for this important discussion. Please plan to attend. RSVP by Monday, Apr. 9 by emailing Bryan Brown at
DIRECTIONS:
The Walker Training Building is located in Belle at 1400 E DuPont Avenue, Belle, WV 25015. Coming from Charleston, take US Rt. 60 to the Midland Trail exit. Follow the road underneath the underpass, cross the railroad tracks and take a left on DuPont Avenue. The Walker Training Building sits on the right.
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According to the Public Information Office of the West Virginia Legislature, the following Interim Meetings schedule has been determined for the remainder of the year through the opening of the 2013 regular session. (NOTE: Locations remain to be determined. Notification will follow once locations have been released).
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no session |
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14-16 |
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25-27 |
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23-25 |
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13-15 |
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10-12 |
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8-10 |
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26-28 |
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10-12 |
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7-9 (ninth is one day session) |
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13 (Legislature convenes) |
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REGISTRATION DEADLINES
If you plan to vote in May’s primary election, April 17th is the last day to register to vote at your county clerk’s office. It is also the last day to mail a voter registration application or to register at one of the state’s voter registration offices. April 17th is also the last day to file a change of political party for the primary or to register to vote after moving to a new county within the state.
For more information about these and other deadlines, check out the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Election webpage at http://www.sos.wv.gov/
Most of all … exercise your rights and VOTE!
EARLY VOTING SCHEDULE
Early voting for the May 8th primary election begins April 25th and concludes May 5. For more information contact your County Clerk’s office or the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office.
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In last week’s article regarding the official dedication of the FOC Soccer Complex we neglected to mention one of our associate members who was instrumental in assisting with the field’s completion. Please accept our apology Rish Equipment Company, and thanks so much for all of your assistance and contributions.
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So now we know that when President Obama says he wants an “all of the above” strategy for energy, “the above” doesn’t include the energy source in which America has the biggest advantage over the rest of the world: coal.
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a new regulation that, if enacted, will effectively outlaw the building of new coal-fired electricity-generation plants. In its proposed rule — which, by the way, is 257 pages long – the agency says it is using a “common-sense approach to reducing CO2 and other [greenhouse-gas] emissions, which by causing climate change, pose a serious threat to public health and welfare.”
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“Coal Symposium for Coal People”
August 13-15, 2012
“Further Along the Road to Zero”
Sponsored by the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, the Bluefield Coal Symposium has the theme Further Along the Road to Zero. The symposium is being held at the Quality Hotel and Conference Center (formerly Holiday Inn) in Bluefield, Virginia.
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By Paul J. Nyden
The Charleston Gazette
WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Tuesday he will vigorously oppose new greenhouse-gas rules proposed last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
During a speech at the John Amos Power Plant near Winfield, Manchin stressed the importance of national energy independence and the impact coal, gas and other energy resources have on creating good-paying jobs.
Today, Manchin said, coal generates 45 percent of all energy used in the United States and "is projected to produce the lion's share of energy decades into the future."
Between 2006 and 2011, Manchin said Tuesday, AEP had as many as 3,200 construction workers at its John Amos plant, now one of the world's cleanest coal plants.
Those workers installed more than $1 billion worth of scrubbers and other equipment to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90 percent, he said.
"Between 2006 and 2011, at AEP power plants in West Virginia, you created 27.7 million work hours on environmental construction projects," Manchin told his audience.
"This plant is an example that when government works as a partner, not an adversary, we can put thousands of people back to work, and find the balance between the economy and environment."
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By: Whitney Burdette
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said he is not going to sit idle while the Environmental Protection Agency continues its "war on coal."
Last week, a 4th Circuit judge struck down the EPA's revocation of a mine permit in southern West Virginia. It was also last week that the EPA released new standards for coal-fired power plants that would restrict carbon dioxide emissions. In response, Tomblin issued a news release on Monday, April 2, containing a letter to the EPA that lays his ground plan for confronting the agency, which he said hurts jobs.
"We've had enough of your war on coal, because it's a war on our jobs here in West Virginia," Tomblin said in the letter. "While Americans clearly want to decrease our dependency on foreign oil, you're killing off the source of 42 percent of America's electricity, power that comes from coal we mine right here in the USA."
Tomblin went on to say that the new rule is not only bad for jobs, but also energy independence.
"This rule is bad for jobs and it's bad for energy independence," he said in the letter. "It's bad for West Virginia and it's bad for America. Kill this rule before it kills our jobs and our communities."
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