September 3, 2008: Imagine West Virginia, a non-partisan think tank affiliated with A Vision Shared, a statewide economic development organization, released the results of a study to the Coal Forum’s Summit held in August stating that coal is an essential component of any new national energy policy far into the future. It cannot be replaced by any other source today and provides a safe, dependable and clean alternative to foreign oil in the short-run.
The report offered an ambitious set of 10 recommendations:
- Strengthening coal-related research
- Promoting expertise in mining safety and remediation
- Developing the next generation of coal leadership
- Training tomorrow’s coal-related workforce
- Fostering new coal-related business enterprises
- Engaging in more strategic regional collaborative initiatives
- Building greater advanced coal technology capabilities
- Establishing a coalition for global efforts in coal
- Participating in effective organizations that advance coal
- Creating an independent energy advisory board
Several speakers, including Governor Joe Manchin, Senator Jay Rockefeller and Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito spoke in support of the organization’s basic findings.
“This is just the first in a series of forums we have scheduled on this topic,” said Chris Hamilton, Vice President of WVCA. Hamilton also serves as co-chair of the Coal Forum, a non-profit organization. Hamilton said additional meetings have been scheduled for Morgantown, Beckley and the Eastern Panhandle, with other locations potentially added at a later date.
An estimated 200 people attended the forum making it a great success.