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October 27, 2014

Coal production in the United States was up 3.2 percent for the week ending October 18^th from the same week last year, according to weekly figures released by the US Energy Information Agency (EIA).  Production for the week was up slightly less than 600,000 tons to 18.7 million tons, from 18.1 million tons for the same week in 2013. Production for the previous 52 weeks, however, remains down, off by 6/10^th of one percent or slightly less than 7 million tons, compared to the same period last year, 982 million tons.

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October 27, 2014

WVCA President Bill Raney was a speaker at Thursday’s session of the Governor’s Energy Summit at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke. Raney’s presentation focused on the current state of West Virginia’s coal industry. He addressed the economic impact of the industry as well as the regulatory and production challenges it faces as we move into the future. Raney told the crowd of government and energy leaders that it is vital to the state’s economic future to take the steps needed to make sure West Virginia coal remains competitive and a foundation of the nation’s energy portfolio.

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October 27, 2014

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has filed the final version of the interpretive rule outlining how it will implement the new Aboveground Storage Tank Program using three risk-based categories for tanks.

This rule was filed with the Secretary of State’s Office this week following a 30-day public comment period that concluded with an Oct. 9 public hearing. The DEP took the submitted comments into account before finalizing the rule and made several changes based on the feedback received. 

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October 27, 2014

Next week we’re having Membership “Town Hall” meetings in Beckley (Monday) and Morgantown (Friday) to brief our members on the status of issues confronting our industry today as well as the candidates endorsed for the November 4^th election.  We’ve titled these meetings as “Actions not Words” to indicate a frank and open discussion about issues, candidates and matters that keep our production costs high.  We hope members in each of these regions will join us, because your input guides the issues that need addressed.  

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October 27, 2014

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October 22, 2014

Early Voting is open during regular business hours at each county courthouse from October 22 to November 1. Early Voting is also available each Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Click here to view early voting hours and locations by county.
http://www.sos.wv.gov/elections/voterinformation/2014Election/EarlyVoting/Pages/default.aspx

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October 22, 2014

The West Virginia Coal Association and Friends of Coal have set membership, “town-hall-type” meetings in Beckley and Morgantown for later this month.  The focus is “Action Not Rhetoric,” and our goal is to bring attention to the issues surrounding the state’s coal industry as we head into the 2014 general election. At the meetings, we will discuss the current status of the coal industry in the state, the factors that are impacting the industry, the importance of the upcoming election as well as our political endorsements and why we chose these candidates. We urge those who are concerned about the future of coal mining in West Virginia to make plans to attend the meetings.

Meetings are set for Oct. 27^th at Tamarack at 4:30 p.m. for the Beckley/Bluefield area and October 31^st at the Waterfront Hotel in Morgantown at 3:00 p.m. for the Morgantown/Fairmont/Clarksburg areas. We are also attempting to schedule visits in other cities across the state between now and Election Day.  Details will be provided as soon as the coordination is complete. 

The next year is critical to the future of our industry. And the upcoming election will play a central role in determining the course we will take. There are a lot of people out there who claim to be ‘friends of coal,’ and we need all of them who will do what it takes to help us meet and overcome the challenges we face.

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October 22, 2014

The online tool allows you to file your comments calling on EPA to rescind its job-killing regulations that are halting the construction of new coal-fired power plants and essentially forcing the closure of existing plants.  The letters are sent directly to the EPA's official comments e-mail address. You have until December 1, 2014 to register your comments, which means you have about 40 days left to make your voice heard on this important issue.     

If you have not already done so, we ask that you visit the online petition and add your support. You can do so at www.friendsofcoal.org/soundoff<http://www.friendsofcoal.org/soundoff>.  Do it today!

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October 22, 2014

Public outreach and education efforts for the Friends of Coal are continuing. Membership meetings are currently set for October 27^th in the Beckley/Bluefield area and October 31^st in Morgantown.

Additional informational sessions have been set, with two more groups of Wheeling Jesuit's College "Coal Tours" program set for the Oct. 21 and 22 and a group of Princeton University students visiting on Oct. 27.