CHARLESTON --  The West Virginia Coal Association and the Friends of Coal would like to thank the West Virginia Senate for passing Senate Bill 357, the Coal Jobs and Safety Act of 2015.

The bill, which will protect our existing coal jobs, improve safety and help lay the foundation to get our state's leading industry back into a competitive position in the world economy, was passed by the State Senate earlier today. The companion bill, HB 2566, is currently under consideration in the House of Delegates.
 
Please take a moment to thank the Senators that voted in favor of the bill's passage. The vote record is here:

 
We urge you to contact your members of the House of Delegates and ask them to pass HB 2566, the House version of this legislation. It is vital for the future of our industry, the tens of thousands of jobs that depend on mining and our state's economy.

It is important to contact your legislators to let them know you approve of their ambitious business agenda and SB 357 and HB 2566 "Coal Jobs and Safety Act" purporting to update and revise several sections of state mining law.

We have designed a legislative tool on our website that allows contacting your legislators very easily.  Below is a link to our website where you'll find our newly created legislative communications tool.

West Virginia Coal Association Applauds Quick Action by Legislature in Moving on Repeal

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s signature on HB 2001 Tuesday officially overturned the state’s Cap-and –Trade Act that was signed into law in 2009. The West Virginia Coal Association wants to thank the state’s new legislative leadership for its quick work in moving the repeal through both Houses and onto the Governor’s desk.

“This clearly shows how much things have changed in Charleston,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “And this also shows the commitment our Legislature and our Governor have in taking the steps needed to begin getting our state’s coal miners back to work. This is just the first component of that effort, and already it is easy to see this truly is a new day for our state.“

The West Virginia Coal Association hosted its 42^nd Annual Mining Symposium on January 28^th-30^th in Charleston. More than 500 people attended the event with 35 vendors on hand with exhibits of equipment and services. 

“It’s, we think, the largest gathering of coal people in one building anywhere in West Virginia,” said Bill Raney, the president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “It gives everyone a chance to share technical expertise through sessions, emerging technology, changing rules, new policies ... everything that affects the coal industry.”

According to the latest report from the Energy Information Agency (EIA), coal production in the United States rose by 1.7 million tons for the week ending January 31, compared to the same time last year. Production for the week stood at 20.10 million tons compared to 18.40 million tons for the last week of January, 2014.  For the 52-week period ending January 31, production was also up slightly, to 997.13 million tons from 982.24 million tons last year.
This increase was reflected in the number of rail car loadings, which saw an increase of 10.5% for the week over the same period last year. Rail car loadings were up 3.7% for the previous 52 weeks.