Dear Mr. President,
On behalf of the 60,000 West Virginians who show up at a coal mine and coal-fired power plant every day, we say Thank You!
Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comments about coal mining and for taking the necessary steps to undo the job-killing, anti-coal measures enacted by your predecessor and the multitude of federal agencies that regulate virtually every aspect of coal production and consumption. With your vision and leadership, we can rebuild and sustain this great industry for all the right reasons: national security, grid stability, rebuilding American industrial might and putting more Americans to work topower our rejuvenated economy.
As you are aware, West Virginia produces some of the highest-quality thermal coal found anywhere in the world. West Virginia’s “best in class” metallurgical coal is used for steel making and infrastructure build-out here at home and around the globe. Our state leads the nation in exporting high-quality coal to forty-eight foreign destinations, contributing to your goal of establishing world peace by providing American energy to allies and balancing global trade.
As the nation’s second-largest coal-producing state and the largest producer of metallurgical coal our political leadership shares your vision for coal. Governor Morrisey, Senators Capito and Justice, Congressional Representatives Miller and Moore, and West Virginia Senate President Smith and West Virginia House Speaker Hanshaw all anxiously await the opportunity to partner with you, and your energy team. We desire to work with you to upgrade and fine-tune our coal-fired plants which are so extremely important to baseload power supplies in our state and region.
Our request: we would like to set up a meeting with you and your energy team, our coal industry and political leadership at your earliest opportunity to formulate and strengthen a partnership to combine our energy resources and expertise to take full advantage of advancing our shared goals.
We want to partner with you to Make America and West Virginia Great Again!
Mr. President, we believe we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity under your Presidency to boost this great American industry and hope you will make time to meet with us soon.
Sincerely Yours,
Chris Hamilton, President
West Virginia Coal Association
Cc: WV Governor Patrick Morrisey
US Senator Shelley Moore Capito
US Senator Jim Justice
US Congresswoman Carol Miller
US Congressman Riley Moore
WV Senate President Randy Smith
WV House Speaker Roger Hanshaw