By Phil Kabler

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Barring some last-minute changes of heart leading up to the midnight filing deadline earlier today, no less than 18 members of the House of Delegates will have opted not to seek reelection.

That includes some long-serving members including former Finance Chairman Harold Michael, D-Hardy; Scott Varner, D-Marshall; John Doyle, D-Jefferson, and Virginia Mahan, D-Summers, who alone have a combined 82 years of legislative service.
(That's also counting Delegates Tim Ennis, D-Brooke, and Steven Kominar, D-Mingo, who stepped down earlier this month to become, respectively, a county commissioner, and the director of the Mingo County Development Authority.)

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — FirstEnergy Corp. said Thursday that new environmental regulations led to a decision to shut down six older, coal-fired power plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, affecting more than 500 employees.

The plants, which are in Cleveland, Ashtabula, Oregon and Eastlake in Ohio, Adrian, Pa. and Williamsport, Md., will be retired by Sept. 1. They have generated about 10 percent of the electricity produced by FirstEnergy over the last three years, the company said.

In a statement James Lash, head of the company's generation unit, indicated that a review of the company's coal-fired plants determined it would not be cost-effective to get the older ones into compliance with environmental regulations the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in December

McKinley joins call to develop domestic energy sources

DALLAS & WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE - News), a global technology and specialty materials company, applauds Representative Pete Olson (R-Texas) for introducing House Bill 3773 yesterday on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. H.R. 3773 would amend section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act to allow fuel blenders to use Domestic Alternative Fuel to satisfy their obligations under the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). 

Specifically, Rep. Olson’s bill, titled the Domestic Alternative Fuels Act of 2012, would allow ethanol produced from domestic hydrocarbons other than petroleum to satisfy the RFS requirement to use conventional biofuel (corn-based ethanol) to reduce the quantity of petroleum used in transportation fuel. 

HOUSTON & ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP - News) today announced plans to invest approximately $140 million to further expand its coal handling facilities along the Gulf Coast. Concurrently, Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI - News) has signed a long-term throughput agreement with KMP that will help support the expansion of these export facilities. Also, Arch and KMP are in final discussions to include, in the throughput agreement, port space for coal shipments at KMP-owned facilities on the East Coast.   

February 1 is right around the corner and that means the Annual WV Mining Symposium begins.  Registration is already over 500, but there is always room for a few more.  A registration form is attached and the agenda for the complete two and one-half days is below.  We have a great group of speakers, a full vendors venue, wonderful food and lots of awards to be announced.  So, PLEASE pre-register so your nametag will be ready when you arrive and we will have good, up-to-date numbers to give to the caterers, as well as for seating.