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August 25, 2011

The Kanawha Valley Mining Institute will hold its monthly meetong next Thursday, September 1 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn in South Charleston.  Valtronics & City National Bank will be sponsoring this monthly meeting and Dennis Harrah, all-pro lineman for the L.A. Rams for 13 years, as well as All-American Guard with University of Miamiand a Charleston native.

For further information: http://www.kvmi.org/user/2011-09-01_Meeting_Notice.pdf

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August 25, 2011

President of International Resources, LLC a subsidiary of James River Coal Company and Association Chairman Gary White will keynote the Media Appreciation Breakfast at the Bluefield Coal Show on Wednesday, September 14^th in Bluefield.

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August 25, 2011

Alpha Natural Resources CEO and Association First Vice Chairman, Kevin Crutchfield, will keynote the Wednesday, August 31^st session of the 75^th Annual West Virginia Business Summit at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.

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August 25, 2011

Hundreds of current and former residents of the Sharples area gathered Saturday at a lake near Blair for the dedication of a monument in honor of the state’s coal miners past and present.  The dedication was part of the annual Sharples Community Reunion, hosted by the Spruce Citizens’ Action Panel.

The memorial stands on the shore of Mifflin Lake, about 12 miles from Madison and about 6 miles from Blair. The area played a key role in the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain.

The lake is, itself, a man-made facility and is part of a restored surface mining operation.

Joining the Spruce CAP at the event were State Senator Ron Stollings (D-Boone), former Logan County Commissioner Art Kirkendoll, representatives of Arch Coal and Mountain Laurel Mine, Bill Raney and Chris Hamilton of the West Virginia Coal Association, representatives of Friends of Coal and Roger Horton, president of Citizens for Coal and himself a working coal miner.

Stollings, Kirkendoll and other speakers demanded an end to the federal government’s ongoing assault onWest Virginia’s coal industry.  Horton said it is time to hold the nation’s elected officials accountable for their actions.

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August 25, 2011

Friends of Coal Spokesman and former West Virginia University Head Football Coach Don Nehlen joined West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney at an August 18th “Rally in the Valley” in Moundsville to protest the Obama Administration’s “War on Coal.” Nehlen said those in Washington who regulate coal need to come to West Virginiaand get to know the industry better. He also believes the key to the industry's survival is voting out President Barack Obama in 2012.

It was noted during the rally that the U.S. coal industry is actually booming, as producers are exporting much of their product to foreign countries that continue to use coal.  "It makes no sense," Nehlen told the crowd. "Everybody wants our coal. We're one of the few countries where our natural resources are treated like a liability, and that's ridiculous.”

"I'm just a football coach, I don't know how to turn things around," he continued. "But I can vote that guy (President Barack Obama) out of the White House. That's a start."  Raney said West Virginia has "the best coal and the best coal miners" in the world. No one outside West Virginiahas any idea how important West Virginia's coal and coal miners are to them, he said.  "If the people in New York andWashington, D.C., had any idea their standard of living was dependent on a coal miner in West Virginia, their behavior would be different," Raney said.

He credited West Virginia's congressional delegation - singling out freshmen members Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. - for their work on behalf of the industry.