CHARLESTON – This month’s episode of “The Coal Seam” features coverage of Governor Tomblin’s official bill signing in Logan last month. This episode will run through the month of June. It will be followed by an episode featuring an interview with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on the EPA’s greenhouse gas regulations and their impact on West Virginia through the month of July. They are available on your local public access channels. On Suddenlink you can find it on Channel 17. It is also available on the internet at:

 http://www.librarycommission.wv.gov/programs/ltn/videoserver/Pages/coalseam.aspx and/or our webpage at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjs-uw35-LiT_6lRc7Bh9yxCjC9Hv2xHW&feature=mh_lolz

HOUSTON – Natural Resource Partners has announced that Nick Carter, NRP’s President and Chief Operating Officer, will retire on September 1, 2014.  Wyatt L. Hogan, NRP’s Executive Vice President, will succeed Mr. Carter as President.  Mr. Hogan will be responsible for NRP’s continued growth and diversification and will report to Corbin J. Robertson, Jr., NRP’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  Kevin F. Wall, NRP’s Executive Vice President—Operations will succeed Mr. Carter as Chief Operating Officer and will report to Mr. Hogan.  In addition, Kevin J. Craig, NRP’s Vice President–Business Development for NRP’s coal business, will assume additional responsibilities with regard to coal industry relations and report to Mr. Hogan.  Following his retirement, Mr. Carter will work as a consultant to NRP through the end of 2014 in order to ensure a seamless transition. 

“We look forward to continued growth at NRP as Wyatt assumes this leadership role and as Kevin and Kevin assume greater responsibilities,” said Mr. Robertson.  “This announcement marks the culmination of an extensive, two-year strategic review and succession planning process at NRP, and I also want to thank our Board of Directors for all of their time and effort in ensuring NRP has a bright future.”

CHARLESTON -- Earlier this week the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) launched a website for Senate Bill 373, the aboveground storage tank bill that was passed by the West Virginia Legislature in the 2014 Regular Session.  The page contains an archive of information and resources related to the agency's implementation of the bill and a link to the electronic forms to register aboveground tanks as required by the legislation.  The webpage can be found at http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/abovegroundstoragetanks/Pages/default.aspx

The agency also published a guide to assist tank owners with the required registration process:  https://apps.dep.wv.gov/ast/FinalASTUserGuide.docx

The registration process for tanks will begin in mid-June and all tanks (>1,320) must be completed by October 2014.

WASHINGTON -- According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) weekly production report, year-to-date U.S. metallurgical exports through April 2014 were down 6.1% as compared to the same period last year (22mt v. 23.5mt) and steam coal exports were off by 22.7% (13.8mt v. 17.8mt).

Coal imports were up by 60.8% for the same year-to-date period (3.4mt v. 2.1mt). West Virginia’s 2014 year-to-date production, through 5/31, was down 0.4% statewide when compared to the same period in 2013 (49.5mt v. 49.8mt), with northern WV production down 0.5% (18.16mt v. 118.24mt) and southern WV was off 0.4% (31.4mt v. 31.5mt). 

U.S. year-to-date production through 5/31 was even with the same period last year (407.9mt). There were 116,972 railroad cars loaded last week, ending 5/31, in the United States.

Charleston, WV (June 2, 2014) – President Obama’s emission regulations on existing power plants, announced today, will result in a significant and further erosion of West Virginia’s coal employment base, representatives from the West Virginia Coal Forum stated today.

 Joel Watts, administrator for the West Virginia Coal Forum – a group representing both mine labor and management across the state – said, “This new rule, coupled with other recent emission-related regulations promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has forced the closure or planned closure of hundreds of power plants across the country.  As coal-fired power plants close, the need for West Virginia coal to power them – and the thousands of miners who produce it – goes away.”