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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (May 2, 2011) – The West Virginia Business & Industry Council (BIC), an organization representing more than 250,000 West Virginia employees across 26 separate industry categories, has endorsed Earl Ray Tomblin for Governor in the Democratic primary, organization officials announced today.
Jan Vineyard, chairman of BIC, said, “Under Earl Ray Tomblin’s leadership both in the State Senate and as Acting Governor, West Virginia has seen steady economic growth, greater transparency in government and decreases in both business and consumers taxes. While much more work remains to be done, Earl Ray Tomblin is best prepared and best suited to lead us into the future.”
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The 8th Annual Friends of Coal Auto Fair will be held July 15-17 at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex in Beckley, West Virginia. This fun, family-oriented event will include a car show, carnival rides and games, great food, interactive sponsor displays, special guest appearances, mine safety competitions and more! Plus, for the first time ever, there will be not one but two nights of live entertainment!
Appearing live Friday, July 15th will be country up and comer Chris Janson; Clarksburg, West Virginia’s The Davisson Brothers Band; southern country rock band The BlackWater Outlaws; and North Central West Virginia’s the George Shingleton Band. Then on July 16th, enjoy performances by country music superstars Josh Turner and Little Big Town! Tickets for both shows are on sale now at www.friendsofcoalautofair.com.
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The Tug Valley Mining Institute’s May meeting is set for May 26, 2011 at the Mountaineer Hotel, Williamson, WV with Guest Speaker Marshall University President Stephen J. Kopp.
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The Mingo County Redevelopment Authority (MCRA) will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the TransGas Development Systems, coal-to-liquids (CTL) facility Monday, May 9 at 11 a.m. More details will follow as the plans are finalized. The ceremony will be conducted on the project site at Gilbert Creek near Wharncliffe.
According to Mike Whitt, director of the MCRA, the project will employ more than 2,000 construction workers during the three to four year development phase, with approximately 300 direct jobs at the facility once construction is complete.
“These will be very skilled, good-paying jobs and this project is projected to triple the tax base of Mingo County,” Whitt said. “It is exactly what our land use master plan calls for – diversification, good jobs and good taxes. This will be the first one in the nation and to think it is happening in Mingo county is unimaginable. It is a Godsend for a region that needs it. We are so grateful to the owner, Adam Victor, for his commitment to this project, to Mingo County and to our state.”
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The 2011 Class of the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame will be announced at the joint meeting of the West Virginia Coal Association and the West Virginia Coal Mining Institute. The meeting will be held May 5 – 7th at the Embassy Suites in Charleston, with the Hall of Fame banquet on the evening of May 6th.
Those being inducted are: Robert “Bob Raines; Johnson C. McKinley; Parnel “Judge” McWhorter and J. Robert Fletcher.
Meeting registration may be obtained through the WV Coal Mining Institute by e-mail to
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Representatives of the West Virginia Coal Association and the Friends of Coal joined Senator Joe Manchin for the recent South Charleston stop of his “Common Sense” tour. Manchin talked about the current budget crisis and his determination to address the problem, while protecting the nation’s safety net. “Left unchecked, our exploding national debt will paralyze this nation,” he said. “It will cost us countless jobs. It will derail critical programs like Social Security and Medicare.”
Manchin also addressed the efforts some have made to criticize efforts to curb the budget by scaring seniors and people who depend on the nation’s social safety net.
“Talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare scares people, but they will be protected,’ Manchin said. “If you are 35 or younger, there will be some adjustments, but it is not going to change things for people who have been paying into those programs for a long time.”
Manchin vowed, however, that he will not vote for the critical bill that would raise the nation’s debt ceiling “until we have a long-term fix.”
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Representatives of the West Virginia Coal Association and Friends of Coal joined with members of the West Virginia Business & Industry Council (BIC) for an early voting day in Charleston Friday.
“We urge everyone who can’t make it to the polls on May 14 to stop by their local courthouse and take advantage of early voting in this very important election,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “To take part in early voting, a voter must be registered to vote in the upcoming election and have his or her identification.”
Early voting continues through Wednesday, May 11.Need to find your Early Vote location? Contact your County Clerk CLICK HERE
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Kevin Stricklin, Administrator for MSHA’s Coal Mine Health & Safety Division, addressed WVCA’s Mine Safety Committee in Charleston this week and provided an update on organizational and personnel matters.
MSHA’s District 4 will be divided into two districts with a new MSHA District 12 will be created. Mt. Hope, Mt. Carbon, Summersville and Uneeda will remain with District 4 out of Mt. Hope and the Princeton, Logan and Pineville offices will be merged into District 12.
The new district will eventually be housed in a new facility but for the interim will operate out of the current Pineville MSHA Office and possibly the Mine Academy in Beckley.
Charlie Carpenter will succeed Bob Hardman, who is leaving his post as District Manager of District 4 this summer and Tim Watkins will be the District Manager for District 12. Carpenter worked for Consol in Northern WV before joining MSHA. He’s a former Field Office Supervisor in Alabama and is currently working out of Arlington on special safety projects and petitions. Watkins has been with MSHA for 20 years and was recently an ADM in District 6 in Pikeville KY; he also worked in the agency’s technical support and ventilation division.
Additionally, Link Self will remain with District 4 and Luther Marrs will be reassigned to District 12. Existing District 4 personnel will likely be given an opportunity to be reassigned to District 12.
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