Presenters at the 48^th Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium, held on Tuesday, Jan. 12, acknowledged the challenges facing the industry while also expressing optimism for what the future holds. 

Chris Hamilton, President and Chief Executive Officer of the West Virginia Coal Association, opened the event highlighting the great story the industry has to tell.  “Our industry is responsible for producing some of the most vital of societal needs: low-cost electricity, and steel, the building block of our nation. 

The West Virginia Coal Association was advised by the Governor’s office to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccination of mining personnel who are fifty (50) years of age or older, to commence after the first of January 2021.

Furthermore, the Association was asked to assist this effort by identifying the number of mining personnel around the state that fall into the 50+ age category.

Please contact Jason, Christine, or Chris to report the number of mining personnel age fifty or older along with a date of birth and email address for every person that is reported.

Although, the plans for administering this phase of the vaccine are still being worked out, it is likely the vaccine will be administered “centrally within a geographical radius”.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Chris at (304) 549-8231.

As the clock strikes midnight on the year 2020, we are hopeful that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is near, and we pray for the safety and health of all Americans.

While the pandemic and market forces contributed to record low coal production in 2020, the industry has experienced modest recovery over the past three and a half years under the Trump Administration.

The Administration, to include leadership in the US Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, has worked to place the industry on stable regulatory footing, protect the industry’s electric generation market share, and engaged in research and development of new technologies to extend the viability of this vital resource. As an industry, we are thankful for these efforts.

West Virginia coal production increased slightly week over week by +0.07%, with production from the NAPP region of the state increasing by +1.5% to offset a -1.4% decrease in production from the CAPP region of W.Va.  National coal production deceased by -2.66% from the previous week.  Production from the entire NAPP thermal region was virtually the same as the previous week, with the increase in production from the NAPP region of W.Va. and Ohio offsetting declines in Pennsylvania thermal production.  Implied national met production decreased by -1.7% week over week.  Year to date, West Virginia coal production is off by -28.9% from the same time last year:  -24.5% in the NAPP region and -28.9% in the CAPP region.

The recent announcement that Mylan, now Viatris, will shutter their Morgantown manufacturing facility and eliminate 1,500 jobs in the process leaves us all with an inexplicable empty feeling and sense of hopelessness. It serves as a brutal realization that longstanding state businesses can be ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ due to factors not abundantly clear to us.  

If State leadership had advance warning or insight into the reasons for Viatris’ decision, could they have convinced them to continue operations?  While it appears not, this decision serves as a wakeup call.

Similarly, as we work to diversify our economy and recruit new industries to locate in West Virginia, we must be cognizant of the whims of the marketplace and its impact on new business ventures. Do these prospective ventures have the staying power to ride out a market downturn or the enticement of a merger or, more generally, the lure of greener pastures somewhere else?