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By Taylor Kuykendall, Reporter -
At a meeting of the West Virginia Coal Association Friday morning, Kentucky and Ohio industry officials called for answers as to why a natural gas company has been funneling money to groups who are fighting the coal industry on environmental and health grounds.
Bill Bissett, president of the Kentucky Coal Association, spent the last few minutes of his presentation to West Virginia coal miners and industry executives discussing his disgust with Chesapeake Energy for their funding of anti-coal campaigns.
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By Taylor Kuykendall, Reporter -
During a panel discussion entitled "Obama's No Job Zone," coal industry leaders decried President Obama's energy and environmental policies at the West Virginia Coal Symposium Friday morning.
The discussion opened with Josie Gaskey, director of the Pennsylvania Coal Association. Her state's industry, she said, faces problems from the "overreach" of various regulatory agencies at the federal level.
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By VICKI SMITH
Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Coal operators across the country are changing the way they work, and mines are becoming safer, but the head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said Thursday there are still too many who "don't get it."
In a speech at the West Virginia Coal Association's annual mining symposium, MSHA chief Joe Main said his inspectors can't be in every mine at every shift, and companies need to take more responsibility for running coal safely. Those who don't, he warned, can expect to face tough penalties.
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The Associated Press
CHARLESTON — The coal industry is in an era of change that industry leaders and regulators are discussing at the West Virginia Coal Association's annual mining symposium in Charleston.
The head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration will tell operators what to expect in 2012 on Thursday, while Virginia's Alpha Natural Resources will talk about its own initiatives.
Alpha bought Massey Energy last summer and has agreed to a federal settlement that could lead to new safety and technology programs.
The deal stemmed from the 2010 explosion of the Upper Big Branch mine.
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Fola Coal Mine No. 1 wins the Barton B. Lay Milestones of Safety Award
Consol’s Robinson Run No. 95 wins the Eustace Frederick Award.
CHARLESTON -- Mine safety is a central focus of West Virginia’s coal industry. At Thursday’s session of the 39th Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium in Charleston, 32 mining and service companies were recognized for their commitment to workplace safety in 2011.
Topping the list of award winners were Fola Coal Company’s Surface Mine No. 1 in Clay County, that took home the Barton B. Lay Milestones of Safety Award and Consol’s Robinson Run No. 95 in Marion County that took home the Eustace Frederick Award.
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