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A membership meeting is scheduled for Morgantown next Friday, October 18th, beginning with lunch at the Waterfront Hotel. This is our time to hear from the members as it regards issues and concerns as well as letting them know of activities going on at the State Capitol, throughout the agencies and in Congress. We also want to review next year’s legislative program for the industry and seek input on possible candidates for the 2014 election. We also have Jim Truman with Woods McKenzie tentatively scheduled to discuss the current coal market and what the future looks like for West Virginia and Appalachian coal. If his schedule can be worked out, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, would like to also visit to discuss initiatives he is undertaking against EPA’s NSPS proposals for new and existing coal-fired power plants. He has joined with 16 other Attorneys General in an aggressive letter to EPA emphasizing that the states should be in charge of these air quality programs.
A reception will follow the meeting and tickets remain for the WVU v. Texas Tech football game on Saturday. If you’ve not already done so, please let Sandi know you will be attending, which makes sure we have adequate preparations for lunch and the reception. The Association office telephone is 304-342-4153 and the email is
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Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., introduced a House Resolution on October 8th declaring that Congress recommends that the EPA hold the NSPS hearing in states "most directly impacted by the potential regulations."
"Failing to have a listening session in West Virginia on a rule targeting the use of coal at our existing power plants is absolutely wrong," Capito said. "Excluding all of the states that rely on coal the most from the listening process smacks of outright arrogance by the agency and is a transparent attempt to avoid hearing opinions that differ from the EPA's preconceived ideas."
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Because of the government shutdown, EPA has postponed two of the public “listening sessions” (mentioned above) on its carbon pollution standards that were scheduled for October 15th in Boston, MA, and October 18th in Philadelphia, PA. The sessions will apparently be re-scheduled when the government reopens.
As indicated in Congresswoman Capito’s Resolution, EPA has announced 11 public “listening sessions” across the country – none of which is anywhere near a coal-producing area -- to solicit ideas and input from the public and stakeholders about the best Clean Air Act approaches to reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants.
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WVCA will host a one-day workshop on “communications and social media” onFriday, October 25 in the WV Room 103 of the Charleston Civic Center. The meeting, open at no cost to all WVCA members, will commence at 9 a.m. and should conclude my mid-afternoon. All WVCA members are encouraged to have representation at this event.
This workshop is designed to expand WVCA’s and Friends of Coal’s overall effectiveness by incorporating a larger number of member companies into our communications and social media program and interlock network.
Attendees will learn how to effectively communicate with legislators utilizing our new legislative communications program and build an internal team of individuals who can be called upon from time to time as resource multipliers in order to maximize industry’s response to critical legislative or regulatory issues. Additionally, attendees will also learn how to develop a Facebook or Twitter account for their individual company and have it “plugged-in” to WVCA.
To register for the October 25 workshop, please contact
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Testimony of Chris R. Hamilton, Senior Vice President, West Virginia Coal Association and Chairman, West Virginia Business and Industry Council before the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the Natural Resources Committee oversight hearing: “EPA v. American Mining Jobs: The Obama Administration’s Regulatory Assault on the Economy”.
US House of Representatives -- Washington D.C. -- October 10, 2013
Good afternoon! I’m Chris Hamilton, Senior Vice-President of the West Virginia Coal Association. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in your meeting and discuss the actions or inactions of this Administration on West Virginia’s economy.
More information on my background and experience in coal is included in my prepared remarks before you.
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Good afternoon! I’m Chris Hamilton, Senior Vice-President of the West Virginia Coal Association and Chairman of the West Virginia Business & Industry Council. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in your meeting and discuss the actions or inactions of this Administration on West Virginia’s economy.
West Virginia just celebrated its 150th birthday and we've been mining for all of those 150 years. We are without question one of the state's leading industries, if not the leading industry. We have always provided good paying jobs, infused millions of dollars into local and state wide economies and have provided the region, state, country and world with low-cost, reliable power on a 24/7 basis. That's what we do.
As a state, we manufacture and export energy and power throughout the eastern part of our country and throughout the world. It enables millions of Americans to enjoy the freedom and the world’s greatest quality of life.
West Virginia is the second leading coal producing state, the country’s leading underground coal producing state and the US leader in coal exports, accounting for 50% of the US total. We have consistently averaged between 150 – 160 million tons of annual coal production over the past several decades – until this Administration took office.
We ship coal to practically every state east of the Mississippi river and some 38-39 foreign destinations.
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These new rules are expected to stymie the construction of new, and the expansion of existing, coal-fired generating plants – the most dependable, reliable and lowest cost method of making electricity in America today.
If you can’t build new coal-fired power plants or expand the ones we have, EPA’s directly taking West Virginia coal jobs. What makes it worse is that the federal government has refused to determine the economic impact of these rules before they are promulgated! This negative attack is further magnified by efforts to reduce the fossil fuel and carbon control and sequestration budgets in the Department of Energy, which if anything, need to be maintained and increased!
When you look at these rules as a package and their arrogant behavior, there is no other conclusion to be drawn than this EPA and Administration are making good on its promise to put the industry out of business and take our peoples’ livelihoods. Millions of American jobs, as well as the economies of communities across this country, hang in the balance.
The West Virginia Coal Association is calling upon all congressional leaders who recognize that coal is a critical piece of this country’s energy plan and the provider of low cost, affordable electricity to put the brakes on this out-of-control EPA before the economic damage becomes irreversible. There is much more to be said on this issue, but Congress needs to act now.”
For additional information, contact the West Virginia Coal Association at (304) 342-4153.
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