According to weekly figures released by the US Energy Information Agency (EIA), coal production in the United States was up 4.4% for the week ending September 27^th.   Production for the week was up more than 800,000 tons to 19,933,000 tons, from 19,100 tons for the same week in 2013. Production for the previous 52 weeks remains down, by 1.7% or almost 17 million tons, standing at 974.5 million tons.

West Virginia coal production fell for the 52 weeks ending September 27^th by 1.5% at 112.98 million tons versus 114.67 million tons from 2013.  Likewise, coal production in northern West Virginia for the same period was up 6.6% from 2013 to 45.15 million tons, up 2.7 million tons from the same period in 2013. Meanwhile, coal production in southern West Virginia was off 6.2% for the 52 weeks, 67.88 million tons in 2014 versus 72.31 million in 2013.

The Friends of Coal petition to protect America’s coal jobs has now collected more than 10,400 letters of support through our convenient online tool.

The online tool allows you to file your comments calling on EPA to rescind its job-killing regulations that are halting the construction of new coal-fired power plants and essentially forcing the closure of existing plants.  The letters are sent directly to the EPA’s official comments email address.

If you have not already done so, we ask that you visit the out online petition and add your support. You can do so at www.friendsofcoal.org/soundoff.  Do it today!

Also at the Miners’ Celebration, two prominent West Virginia ladies were recognized for their contributions and accomplishments. 

West Virginia’s First Lady, Joanne Yaeger Tomblin, was recognized with the “Educator of the Year” Award which is given to an educator who shows innovation in programs or education related to the mining industry.

Roger Horton has worked tirelessly on behalf of our area’s coal miners for many years, recently retiring from his job at Guyan Surface Mine after 35 years in the industry.  Roger was recognized at the Miners’ Celebration at Tamarack as the Champion for Coal.

WVCA President, Bill Raney, in introducing Roger at a recent rally in Pittsburgh, said of him, “A long time ago, when we were looking for “friends” anywhere we could find them, a man appeared at a public hearing in Logan, WV on behalf of his company and his local union in “opposition” to some ridiculous rule or regulation being proposed by EPA.

The spirit of the miner is the spirit of a man who works hard and the spirit of a man who makes life, as we know it, possible, officials said Thursday.

To celebrate the spirit of the miner and all that miners do for us, Marshall University sponsors an awards gala each year at Tamarack in Beckley. This year’s award ceremony honored miners and educators alike.

“Marshall is very invested in this event,” President Stephen Kopp said. “It’s a celebration of life and a lifestyle that is so important to this nation. We’re celebrating the heritage that has defined West Virginia in many ways. If you think back to the days of the Industrial Revolution, the path of the miner was the path to revolution.

“Coal has served us through two world wars. We often take it for granted. We often find many parts of the world are unreliable when it comes to electricity. That’s what most of the world deals with. We’re very blessed to have coal and coal miners.”