The Friends of Coal are working with the representatives of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System to tell the story of the role the coal industry played in the creation of the hugely popular trail system and the role it continues to play as the system expands across southern West Virginia. Jeff Lusk, director of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, says without the coal industry much of the trail would not be possible and that many of the existing trails incorporate former mine land and access roads used by the industry while mining was occurring. We will keep you updated as the planning continues.
 

The Friends of Coal will be co-sponsoring and presenting at the 2010 West Virginia Construction and Design Expo March 24 and 25 in Charleston. The event is a major part of the annual convention season and draws more than 6,000 attendees from across the country (last year attendees were from 26 states). The event begins at 10 am each day.

The Friends of Coal and the West Virginia Coal Association played host to another group tour by Wheeling Jesuit University this past Tuesday. This time the students were from Nebraska and were interested in getting a complete picture of the practice of mining, its economic impact on the state and the role it can play in building a new future for the people of the coalfields region.
Several of the students said they believed they had a better understanding of the importance of the coal industry to the state and a better sense of the importance our industry places on its critical role in the state’s economy today and in the future.

The Tug Valley Mining Institute will be holding its monthly meeting March 18 at the Mountaineer Hotel in Williamson. Guests will include the Honorable Elliot “Spike” Maynard.  Please RSVP by March 15 to Nathan Brown at 304.239.2300. The event will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and speaker presentation at 7 p.m.
 

Legislation introduced in the U.S. House by Rep. Frank Palone (D-NJ) and in the U.S. Senate by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) will severely restrict all types of coal mining, threatening thousands of high-paying coal jobs.