Friends of Coal will join with FACES next Tuesday in Beckley for a press conference bringing attention to the complexities of open houses being held by the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) in several eastern locations.  The open houses are a newly devised and quite complicated procedure for the agency to get public input on their proposed environmental impact statement on the stream buffer zone rule.  The press conference will be held at the Beckley Convention Center (Armory) at 10:30 a.m.

The State Journal’s annual 40-page coal section is now available. The section features articles on surface mining, mining rules and regulations, the Friends of Coal and Faces of Coal organizations, current production and employment data, as well as profiles of current Association Chairman Jim Bunn and Gilbert’s own James H. “Buck” Harless.

The section is available either by subscription to The State Journal, purchase of the publication at your local newsstand or you can request a copy by calling the Association at 304-342-3143.

MTM Coalition is planning a Washington rally and news conference on coal issues.  The pro-coal rally on Capital Hill and visit to Washington DC originally scheduled for July has been reset for September 15th.  Please mark your calendars accordingly. All Eastern Coal State Associations are encouraged to participate in this event with the MTM Coalition. More information will be made available as plans are firmed up.

Friends of Coal was well-represented at the annual FOC Auto Fair in Beckley

The sign at the entrance pretty much said it all – “Welcome to the Friends of Coal Auto Fair” – held this past weekend at the YMCA Soccer Complex in Beckley.  The organization and the industry once again were the centerpiece of what has become a major summer event for southern West Virginia.  An estimated 100,000 people attended the event over the long-weekend, despite the almost constant threat of rain, culminating in performances by Southern Rock Legends, The Charlie Daniels Band and Beckley’s own Taylor Made.

 The Friends of Coal organization was everywhere during the event, with the Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary managing a big tent at the center of the fair, as well as a Friends of Coal communications outreach tent, andthe IHRA Championship “Friends of Coal” Funny Car and other outreach efforts.

Several members of the Friends of Coal group joined the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team to literally “drop-in” on the event, making tandem jumps Friday morning. All-in-all, it was an excellent event and continues to grow each year.

The Kanawha Valley Mining Institute’s 21st Hatfield Scramble will be held Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at the Brier Patch Golf Course in Beckley, WV.

Although the golfing slots are all filled, they will welcome hole sponsorships at $250 each, which goes directly to the KVMI Scholarships awarded each year.  You may register for Hole Sponsorship and corporate memberships at the web site:  http://www.kvmi.org/Registration.html