In his keynote address to the 37th Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium, Gov. Joe Manchin said he “delivered the message” about West Virginia coal to President Obama in a White House meeting Wednesday.
Manchin said he told the President that West Virginia coal must be part of the nation’s energy mix for at least the next 30 to 50 years while the nation and the world “transitions to the fuels of the future.”
To push aside coal today would destroy the nation’s economy and its ability to compete against countries like China and India, where the use of coal will continue unabated.
Manchin was one of 10 “coal state” governors who met with Obama to outline their concerns about the direction of the administration’s energy policies as well as recent actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with regard to the mining of coal in the state.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD 11:30 a.m. Lunch sponsored by Jackson Kelly
1 – 5 p.m. Health & Safety Session 1 p.m. Federal Mine Safety & Enforcement Program Kevin Stricklin, Administrator Mine Safety & Health Administration Bob E. Cornett – MSHA District 3 Manager Robert Hardman – MSHA District 4 Manager 2:15 p.m. WV Mine Safety Update C.A. Phillips, Deputy Director WV Office of Miner’s Health, Safety & Training Joel Watts, Board Administrator, WV Board of Coal Mine Health & Safety 3 p.m. Proximity Detection Devices Jim Dean WV Mine Safety Task Force 3:30 p.m. Deep-Cut Mining Gary Hartsog Alpha Engineering 4 p.m. Coal Safety Legal Forum Mark Heath, Spilman Thomas & Battle Dave Hardy, Allen Guthrie McHugh & Thomas Bob Beatty, Dinsmore & Shohl
1 – 5 p.m. Environmental Session 1 p.m. WV Mining Regulatory Update Jason Bostic 1:30 p.m. NPDES Update Allyn Turner Spilman Thomas & Battle 2 p.m. OSM Oversight Update Roger Calhoun Office of Surface Mining 2:30 p.m. Corps of Engineering Permitting Update Ginger Mullins Huntington Corps of Engineers 3 p.m. Environmental Justice & Mining Matt Tyree Jackson Kelly 3:30 Conductivity Ranges & Responses Ed Kirk, REIC Randy Maggard, Argus Energy 5 p.m. Associate’s Welcoming Reception
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH
7:00 a.m. REGISTRATION
7:30 a.m. Breakfast sponsored by Dinsmore & Shohl and Logan Corporation 8:30 a.m. Welcome & Introductions James O. Bunn WVCA Chairman 8:45 a.m. Central Appalachian Challenges Joe Craft, President/CEO Alliance Coal Company 9:30 a.m. The State of the State Governor Joe Manchin State of West Virginia
10:15 a.m. Break sponsored by Steptoe & Johnson
10:30 a.m. U. S. Coal Forecast 2010 Hal Quinn, President National Mining Association 11:15 a.m. American Energy Securities Study Kenneth Nemeth, Executive Director Southern States Energy Board
12 noon Mountaineer Guardian Luncheon Sponsored by Bowles Rice and Marshall Miller Associates Awards Presentation by WV Office of Miners’ Health, Safety & Training 2 p.m. MSHA 2010 Joe Main, Assistant Secretary U. S. Mine Safety & Health Administration 2:45 p.m. West Virginia’s Coal Economy Tom Witt, WVU Cal Kent, Marshall University 3:30 p.m. Break sponsored by Steptoe & Johnson 3:45 p.m. Coal Advocacy -- Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary -- FACES -- Mountain Top Mining Coalition -- Young West Virginians for Coal
5 p.m. Legislative Reception
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH
7 a.m. Registration
7:30 a.m. Breakfast sponsored by Brickstreet and Wells Fargo Insurance – Energy & Mining Group
8:30 a.m. Welcome
8:35 a.m. Congressional Activity Relating to Coal Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito 9:15 a. m. OSM 2010 Joseph Pizarchik, Director U. S. Office of Surface Mining 9:50 a.m. Renewable Energy – The Gap Between the Idea and Reality Dr. Charles Bayless
10:30 a.m. Break sponsored by Steptoe & Johnson
10:45 a.m. Environmental Litigation Update Bob McLusky Jackson Kelly, PLLC 11:15 a.m. West Virginia’s Mining & Reclamation Program Tom Clarke, Director, Division of Mining & Reclamation WV Department of Environmental Protection
12 noon Reclamation Awards Luncheon Sponsored by Spilman Thomas & Battle and Potesta & Associates Awards Presentation: Randy Huffman, Cabinet Secretary WV Department of Environmental Protection
The 2010 Guidebook to West Virginia Taxes has been released as an e-book that is available at no charge to you. The Guidebook is the work of several leading tax practitioners and was edited by Dale W. Steager, Esq.
The WVCA Board of Directors has approved the membership of producing member INR Energy with Stephen D. “Doug” Williams as their COO and representative.
New Associate Members are: A C Power Tech, Inc., Alex Cerreti, President; AirFlow Catalyst Systems, Inc., John Belgiorno, Sales Manager for North America; Compass Coal Services, LLC, William E. Massey, President; and, Pennington Seed, Inc.-Virginia Division, Dan Cosgrove, Professional Turf Sales. Welcome to all and we look forward to meeting you at the Symposium.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that corporations may spend as freely as they like to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on business efforts to influence federal campaigns. By a 5-4 vote, the court overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said companies can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to produce and run their own campaign ads.
The decision leaves in place a prohibition on direct contributions to candidates from corporations and unions. It does, however, remove limits on independent expenditures that are not coordinated with candidates' campaigns.
The case does not affect political action committees (PAC). Corporations, unions and others may create PACs to contribute directly to candidates, but they must be funded with voluntary contributions from employees, members and other individuals, not by corporate or union treasuries.
