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Charity of Choice

Member companies and individuals are encouraged to support the Upper Big Branch Family Fund as your “charity of choice” for the families of the victims of the recent mine accident.  The Young Friends of Coal at WVU, under the leadership of Boone County native and former Student Body President Jason Parsons, formed the Fund that is focused on providing for the dependent children’s education.  WVU Basketball Coach Bobby Huggins is co-chairing the charitable effort. Please follow the links in the article to get addresses and information for making your contributions. 
 

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This Week

The Association entertained myriad of media inquiries and interview requests from local, state and national sources.  The majority have related to the Upper Big Branch mine accident and the pending investigations, although some have pertained to EPA’s actions against the Appalachian states and their respective coal industries.
 
The Health & Safety Committee met to prepare for the Board of Coal Mine Health & Safety meetings that were held on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Chris is one of the three industry representatives on that Board. The Board of Miner Training, Education and Certification and the Mine Technology Task Force also met on Thursday.
 
The Environmental & Technical Committee participated in discussions with the Office of Surface Mining regarding several rule-making proposals.
 
Joined the Friends of Coal Ladies’ Auxiliary for their weekly “coal-in-the-classroom” curriculum classes at the St. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Oak Hill.  The Ladies were approved to conduct their six weeks of classes on the coal industry at this high quality school as well as the St. Francis Catholic School in Beckley next month.

Exports Up

According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) report for week ending April 17th, U.S. metallurgical exports for February 2010 are nearly 80% ahead of the same month last year, 4.094 million tons compared to 2.276 million tons in February 2009.  The metallurgical export totals for the first two months show more than a 70% increase.  For the same period, steam coal exports were down more than 33% and 2010 imports were more than 30% behind 2009.  The 2010 year-to-date production for West Virginia was approximately 7.5% behind last year, 42.1 million tons vs. 45.6 million.

Proposed Administrative Rules Available

The Board of Coal Mine Health & Safety released four (4) sets of administrative rules earlier this week for public comment.  The rules address fire protection on underground conveyor belts, updated requirements for mine rescue teams and team member training, requirements for a recording “barometer” to be located at all underground coal mines, and more frequent calibration requirements for machine mounted methane gas monitors.
           
The proposed rules affecting “conveyor belts” and “mine rescue teams” have been developing before the Board for the past two years.  Both rulemaking actions are intended to comport the state requirements to corresponding, newly finalized federal standards on these two topics.  The proposed standards for mine rescue teams were recommended to the Board for promulgation in April, 2008 by the Mine Safety Technology Task Force.

Thank You, West Virginians

Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Op/Ed - April 17, 2010

One week ago this evening I returned from six physically and emotionally grueling days covering the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in Montcoal, W.Va. Since then, I keep thinking of the 29 brave souls whose time on Earth ended deep beneath it. I pray they didn't suffer. I think of the family and friends left to mourn them. I pray their suffering is somehow salved. I think of the kindness bestowed upon me and other journalists as the tragedy
unfolded around us. I pray karma rewards them.

In my career, I've covered unexplainable acts of God and unfathomable acts of man -- plane crashes, serial killings, tornadoes, police killings, suicides, the slayings of men, women and children. I have tried to shine light on the human condition.

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