The Holmes Safety Association, Coal River Council is having its annual golf outing September 11th, 2011 at the Briar Patch Course in Beckley.  The purpose of the golf outing is to raise enough money for the group’s scholarship fund. Since the inception of this scholarship program, the Coal River Council has met the challenge of providing financial aid for deserving young men and women in each of Boone County’s three high schools.

If you would like to sponsor a hole or a team, please respond to: Kelly Blair, Hobet Mining, Box 305, Madison, WV25130 (Tel. 304-369-8180) or Eddie Morris, Coal River Energy, P.O. Box 79, Alum Creek WV 25003 (Tel. 304-756-2769). Checks should be made out to Holmes Safety Association, Coal River Council.

Registration is now open for the 22^nd Annual Hatfield Scramble Golf Outing, hosted by the Kanawha Valley Mining Institute (KVMI) on Tuesday, September 20, at the Brier Patch Golf Course in Beckley.  Monies collected from hole sponsorships support KVMI’s scholarship program! If you wish to participate and/or sponsor a hole or team contact304-414-4500.

The Friends of Coal continued their outreach efforts with the following events:

    ·  Drafted for review two 30-second radio spots for the Friends of Coal Bowl September 4^th.

• • Friends of Coal assisted in the production of an August 15^th edition of “Mining the Issues,” a radio show hosted by Rick Abraham on WVOW Radio in Logan.
  • Taped a new episode of “The Coal Seam” for the West Virginia Library Television Network Tuesday, August 23.
  • Production of “Coal Facts 2011” is beginning. Companies interested in advertising in the publication should contact Sandi Davison at 304-342-4153 or email her at sdavison@wvcoal.com.  Distribution is tentatively set for late November.

In addition, the Friends of Coal continue to solicit opportunities to take the message of coal to the public. If your organization would like to have a representative of Friends of Coal as a speaker, or if you would like to have an informational table at an event, please contactsdavison@wvcoal.com or call us at 304.342.4153.

The North American Coalbed Methane Forum will hold its Fall Session November 8-9, 2011 at the Hilton Garden Inn in South Pointe near Canonsburg, PA.  The Forum will consist of presentations covering technical aspects of coalbed methane development and production.  Fracing and frac water disposal of Marcellus shale will also be presented.

By attending the session you will be eligible for 6.0 professional development hours (PDH) as mandated by the law.  For additional information contact:

Ihor Havryluk at 412/445-5803(havryluk@zoominternet.net) or  Dr. Kashy Aminian at304/293-3964 (kaminian@wvu.edu).

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The state Commerce Department says coal fueled a 43% increase in West Virginia exports in the first six months of the year.
West Virginia's exports rose from $3.1 billion in the first six months of 2010 to $4.4 billion in the same period this year. The U.S. growth rate was 18%.
Coal accounted for $2.6 billion of West Virginia's total. Plastics was second with $575.1 million in exports.
West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney tells the Charleston Daily Mail (http://bit.ly/nna6VO ) that the latest figures are good news for everyone in West Virginia.

http://www.wvva.com/story/15331082/wva-exports-up-43-in-first-half-of-year