The Association is endorsing Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin for Governor in the upcoming October 4^th General Election.   

In making the announcement at the Bluefield Coal Show, Chairman Gary White said the decision by the Association’s Executive Committee is in recognition of Tomblin’s lifetime of service to the people of West Virginia and his proven record of fiscal responsibility and leadership while serving as president of the Senate.  

“Our state is fortunate to have the choice between two capable candidates as Governor Tomblin and Republican candidate Bill Maloney, who has worked in and has many friends in the industry,” White said. “We want to thank each of them for their dedication, but we believe it is critical for the state to have a seasoned, demonstrated leader like Earl Ray Tomblin to guide us through the stormy seas of overly stringent federal intervention and regulation.  

The West Virginia Business & Industry Council (BIC), an organization representing more than 250,000 West Virginia employees across 26 separate industry categories, has endorsed Earl Ray Tomblin for Governor in the upcoming special general election on Oct. 4, organization officials announced today.

Jan Vineyard, chairman of BIC, said, “As America again teeters on the brink of recession and with our state’s financial outlook looking better by the quarter, West Virginia needs a governor with proven leadership and a deep understanding of the budgetary and policy issues we face.  Earl Ray Tomblin is best prepared and best suited to lead us into the future.”

Vineyard cited Tomblin’s work to combat the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s unfair and anticompetitive policies on mining, his efforts to lure a billion dollar ethane processing facility, the paving and construction of many miles of roadway through the state and passing legislation to further lower the sales tax on food, as proactive initiatives that are benefiting all West Virginians.

“West Virginia has seen steady economic growth, greater transparency in government and decreases in both business and consumers taxes under Earl Ray Tomblin’s tenure as Senate President and Acting Governor,” Vineyard said.   “While much more work remains to be done, Earl Ray Tomblin has the experience and leadership ability to move the state forward.”

Coal mining has a unique relationship with West Virginians – even those a thousand miles away.   A dedicated group of West Virginia University alumni conducted their own Mountaineer Mantrip in Tampa, Fla. this past weekend.

Jeff Fenske, Andre Janecki and the rest of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the WVU Alumni still managed to bring a little piece of the Mountain State to their new city. They have a 35-pound chunk of coal to rub for good luck before the Mountaineers took on No. 2 Louisiana State University.

The U.S. House Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee held a field hearing Monday, September 26 here in Charleston, West Virginia. The hearing focused on the Obama Administration’s attempts to rewrite the Stream Buffer Zone rule and potential damage this would cause to the nation’s coal industry. 

Jason Bostic, vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association, testified at the hearing, which was held at the Kanawha County Courthouse.  Bostic told committee members that the OSM and federal EPA are engaged in an assault on coal that usurps the lawmaking powers of the Congress and upsets the Constitutional balance between the three branches of government.

Governor Tomblin also spoke to the Committee. "All told, more than 63,000 West Virginians work in jobs provided by the coal industry. That is 63,000 families," Governor Tomblin said. "Think about it for a moment -that means approximately 250,000 people in a state with less than two million citizens are supported, in one way or another, by the mining of coal."