- Details
By Rich Trzupek
Lisa Jackson still doesn’t get it. The EPA Administrator is stuck in 1970 and refuses to acknowledge the environmental and economic realities of 2011, as her rambling, misleading Op-Ed that ran in the L.A. Times last week so clearly demonstrates.
Jackson claims, for example, that House Republicans are conducting an "…assault on our environmental and public health protections will mean the difference between sickness and health — in some cases, life and death — for hundreds of thousands of citizens."
She refers here to the proposed "Boiler MACT" and "Utility MACT" (MACT stands for Maximum Achievable Control Technology) rules that the EPA is trying to ram down the nation’s throat at a time we can least afford such pristine luxuries. The fact is that the nation has made enormous progress in cleaning up the air over the last forty years and EPA’s claims that it’s vital to crank down on the thumbscrews in the industrial sector once again are both self-serving and highly dubious. Consider a few facts that Jackson failed to mention:
- Details
A scathing new expose on the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change -- which sets the world's agenda when it comes to the current state of the climate -- claims that its reports have often been written by graduate students with little or no experience in their field of study and whose efforts normally might be barely enough to satisfy grad school requirements.
Grad students often co-author scientific papers to help with the laborious task of writing. Such papers are rarely the cornerstone for trillions of dollars worth of government climate funding, however -- nor do they win Nobel Peace prizes.
- Details
By Rep. Ed Whitfield
FoxNews.com
Economists call it "the jobs multiplier effect" – each new job created in turn supports other new jobs. A new pool of workers means new salaries being spent in local economies for everyday needs at places like the supermarket, the car dealer, or the dentist.
The jobs multiplier can also work in the opposite direction when people are laid off, causing a domino effect of job losses due to decreased spending in local communities. And that’s exactly what’s happening today. The regulatory attack of President Obama’s EPA on affordable electricity is unleashing a negative multiplier effect that is resulting in lost jobs and hurting local economies all across the country.
This is puzzling, to say the least, in that the president himself has spoken of the need to draw on all of our energy resources to meet our electricity needs. But his Environmental Protection Agency clearly has a different agenda.
Since 2009, EPA has been rolling out an unprecedented wave of new regulations targeting the coal-fired power plants that provide nearly half of the nation’s electricity and support thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly.
- Details
While addressing students Thursday morning at an event at Howard University, Jackson was quoted in Energy and Environment Daily saying, “In their [the coal industry] entire history -- 50, 60, 70 years, or even 30 ... they never found the time or the reason to clean up their act. They're literally on life support. And the people keeping them on life support are all of us.”
Jackson went on to lambast McKinley’s bipartisan coal ash legislation, saying, “That struck me as kind of a way of thinking about what's going on right now inside the beltway…So that's where we are. We're protecting the coal ash from the people rather then protecting the people from the coal ash.”
- Details
W.Va. freshman’s compromise legislation passes with bipartisan support
Washington, D.C. – A jobs bill (H.R. 2273) authored by Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV), which for the first time sets minimum federal guidelines regulating coal ash while empowering the states to enforce them, passed the House Friday with overwhelming bipartisan support. McKinley’s legislation, which a Veritasstudy found could protect up to 316,000 jobs from being eliminated, was approved 267-144, with 37 Democrats voting yes. The Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. today noted that the question of how to regulate coal ash has been “a long simmering issue ignored by many policymakers” – until now.
Rep. McKinley made the following statement about H.R. 2273 on the House floor today:
“Every day coal ash is produced in nearly 700 coal-fired generating plants in 48 of the 50 states in America. Approximately 140 tons are produced annually with 40% of that coal ash being beneficially recycled. Over the years, scientists and entrepreneurs have found uses for coal ash through a variety of recycling options. Businesses were emboldened to recycle the material after two studies by the EPA in 1993 and in 2000 found that coal ash is not a hazardous material and could be used by the public. The findings of these two studies specifically state that there have been no documented cases of coal ash damaging human health or the environment. As a result industries have sprung up all across America and thousands of jobs have been created by recycling coal ash.
- Details
The Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary is excited to announce the opening of their new website www.friendsofcoalladiesaux.com which includes an online store. The website gives an in-depth view of the many projects the FOC Ladies Auxiliary is involved with to further enhance the public’s support and continued dedication in educating our citizens about the benefits of the coal industry. The FOC Ladies Auxiliary also invites you to browse their new online store and hopes you will find that perfect gift for your company, employees, family and friends!
- Details
More than 100 teams from 13 states competed in the 2011 National Mine Rescue, First-Aid, Bench and Preshift Competition at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio which was held in early October.
Teams from West Virginia fared very well in the event including taking third, eighth and eleventh in the overall competition results. First and Fourth in the Combination Competition results and six teams in the top ten of the First Aid competition.
Selected results from the National Mine Rescue, First Aid, Bench, and Preshift Contest, Columbus, Ohio held October 3 - 6, 2011:
Mine Rescue Competition Final Results
#3 Patriot Coal – Magnum Madison, WV captain Travis Lett
#8 Cliffs - Pinnacle Mining Co. - Pinnacle Blue Team - Pineville, WV captain Chad Lester
#11 Alpha Natural Resources - Southern WV Team Naoma, WV captain Tommy Dove
Combination Competition Final Results
#1 Patriot Coal Magnum captains Travis Lett & Britt Crouse
#4 Alpha Natural Resources Southern WV Naoma, WV Team captains Tommy Dove & Dave Green
First Aid Competition Results
#3 Patriot Coal Magnum Madison, WV team captain Britt Crouse
#5 Alpha Natural Resources Southern WV Team Naoma, WV Team Captain Dave Green
#6 Eastern Associated Coal, LLC Federal No. 2 Fairview, WV Team Captain John Sabo
#7 Patriot Coal Southern Appalachia Wharton, WV team captain Jon Castle
#8 Eastern Associated Coal, LLC Federal No. 2 Fairview, WV team captain Justin Scott
#10 Patriot Coal Magnum Madison, WV team captain Travis Lett
- Details
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.
- Details
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.
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.
