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WV Coal Hall of Fame Inductees 2010

LAURITA AND HOWARD NAMED TO WEST VIRGINIA COAL HALL OF FAME
Nicewonder joins to accept his 2009 award at annual meeting in Glade Springs
 
The West Virginia Coal Association and the West Virginia Coal Mining Institute are proud to name Thomas W. Howard and James Lewis Laurita (Jim, Sr.) as the 2010 inductees to the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame. Laurita and Howard were joined in accepting the award by Don Nicewonder, who received his 2009 induction. Nicewonder had been unable to attend this past year.
 
“This is the highest honor our industry can bestow,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “This award is given to people who devote a lifetime of service to our industry and our state.  I am so proud to be able to say I know these three gentlemen and count them as friends. They are gentlemen in every sense of the word. They embody the very best of our industry. Their lives of hard work, commitment to excellence and commitment to the state and its people truly light the way for the rest of us to follow.”  
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Coal's Future Focus

Source: Wheeling Intelligencer

http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/537503.html?nav=515\

WHEELING - If you ask Chris Hamilton, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is unfairly targeting West Virginia's coal industry by holding up several state mining permits. As Hamilton, vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association, believes coal mining is under attack, Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton also wants to make sure EPA officials are held accountable for their actions.

Hamilton and Wharton joined Wheeling Mayor Andy McKenzie, Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce President Terry Sterling, Marshall County Chamber of Commerce President Dave Knuth and others for a news conference expressing support for the coal industry in Wheeling this morning.

Hamilton said the Obama Administration's EPA, led by administrator Lisa Jackson, seems to have a bias against Mountain State coal. This year, Hamilton said, West Virginia will produce the second highest amount of coal for any state, with about 160 million tons. This amount pales in comparison to the 400 million tons set for production in Wyoming.

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Proposed Administrative Rules Available

The Board of Coal Mine Health & Safety released four (4) sets of administrative rules earlier this week for public comment.  The rules address fire protection on underground conveyor belts, updated requirements for mine rescue teams and team member training, requirements for a recording “barometer” to be located at all underground coal mines, and more frequent calibration requirements for machine mounted methane gas monitors.
           
The proposed rules affecting “conveyor belts” and “mine rescue teams” have been developing before the Board for the past two years.  Both rulemaking actions are intended to comport the state requirements to corresponding, newly finalized federal standards on these two topics.  The proposed standards for mine rescue teams were recommended to the Board for promulgation in April, 2008 by the Mine Safety Technology Task Force.
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Exports Up

According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) report for week ending April 17th, U.S. metallurgical exports for February 2010 are nearly 80% ahead of the same month last year, 4.094 million tons compared to 2.276 million tons in February 2009.  The metallurgical export totals for the first two months show more than a 70% increase.  For the same period, steam coal exports were down more than 33% and 2010 imports were more than 30% behind 2009.  The 2010 year-to-date production for West Virginia was approximately 7.5% behind last year, 42.1 million tons vs. 45.6 million.
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This Week

The Association entertained myriad of media inquiries and interview requests from local, state and national sources.  The majority have related to the Upper Big Branch mine accident and the pending investigations, although some have pertained to EPA’s actions against the Appalachian states and their respective coal industries.
 
The Health & Safety Committee met to prepare for the Board of Coal Mine Health & Safety meetings that were held on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Chris is one of the three industry representatives on that Board. The Board of Miner Training, Education and Certification and the Mine Technology Task Force also met on Thursday.
 
The Environmental & Technical Committee participated in discussions with the Office of Surface Mining regarding several rule-making proposals.
 
Joined the Friends of Coal Ladies’ Auxiliary for their weekly “coal-in-the-classroom” curriculum classes at the St. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Oak Hill.  The Ladies were approved to conduct their six weeks of classes on the coal industry at this high quality school as well as the St. Francis Catholic School in Beckley next month.