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Certainly, its dependability is appreciated in Alberta clippers

With winter yet to begin, December found tens of millions of Americans struggling to cope with a record-breaking cold snap that affected huge areas of the nation.

In the Midwest, some motorists spent days trapped in pileups on snow-covered highways. In the South, some Floridians scrambled to save valuable crops like citrus fruits and strawberries, and others hastened to rescue hundreds of sea turtles reduced to a coma-like state by the cold. But most Americans had heat and light when they made it home after a long day. Those amenities go underappreciated until they go missing.

The West Virginia Coal Association hosted a meeting with newly-elected lawmakers prior to the 2011 regular session of the State Legislature.  The meeting drew several of the newly elected members, who discussed their goals and heard a short presentation about the importance of coal to the state’s economy.

The 2011 session of the Legislature begins at noon on January 12 and runs through mid-March. The Association has also scheduled a series of legislative forums sponsored by individual member companies (see calendar of events below).

The 2010 edition of Coal Facts 2010, both the traditional magazine format and a new tri-fold brochure, are now available.

The publication provides a summary of coal production and employment trends through the 2009 reporting year, as well as interesting features on coal history and methods of production, including an informative piece on surface mining, restoration and post-mine land use.

In addition, the publication provides a listing of environmental and safety award winning operations as well as profiles of our Coal Hall of Fame members.

If you would like a hard copy, give us a call at 304.342.4153 or e-mail:  sdavison@wvcoal.com

Coal expected to remain “dominant fuel” through 2035

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) this week released its Annual Energy Outlook 2011.  The agency expects coal will continue to be the “dominant fuel” used to generate electricity in the United States through 2035, according to new projections released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) — the statistical arm of the Energy Department. Though EIA predicts that no new coal plants will be built between now and 2035 — with the exception of those that are under construction or are built as a result of incentives for low-emissions coal — coal will dominate the country’s energy portfolio. The reason? The United States will continue to rely on existing coal-fired power plants to produce its electricity.

Coal will continue to be the “dominant fuel” used to generate electricity in the United States through 2035, according to new projections released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) — the statistical arm of the Energy Department.

Though EIA predicts that no new coal plants will be built between now and 2035 — with the exception of those that are under construction or are built as a result of incentives for low-emissions coal — coal will dominate the country’s energy portfolio. The reason? The United States will continue to rely on existing coal-fired power plants to produce its electricity.

The EIA expects total U.S. coal consumption to increase from 19.7 quadrillion Btu in 2009 to 25.2 quadrillion Btu in 2035.  Coal consumption for electricity generation increases gradually throughout the projected period from using existing plants more intensively and from the few new plants already under construction.   

West Virginia granted more than $50 million

The U.S. Department of the Interior is releasing $395 million to states and tribes for cleaning up abandoned coal mines across the nation. West Virginia, the nation’s No. 2 coal producing state, will get $51.3 million and Kentucky will receive approximately $38 million.

The grants are funded in part by a per-ton reclamation fee levied on all coal produced in the United States, allow state and tribal programs to correct environmental damage from past mining, reclaim steep and unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restore water supplies damaged by mining.

A 2009 Department of the Interior economic study showed that when state and tribal programs invested the $298 million available during that fiscal year, the cumulative economic impact in the communities where projects were completed was an estimated $733 million.

"These grants have significant economic and environmental impacts in coalfield communities across the country," Salazar said. "In the past three years alone, OSM has distributed more than a billion dollars in these funds to states and tribes, enabling them to undertake projects that benefit the environment while employing people living in affected areas."