Dear Madame Vice President:

Congratulations on your election victory and thank you for your service to the United States.

We watched with interest your recent interview on WSAZ television, which covers central-southern West Virginia, in late January. During the interview you highlighted the President’s “American Rescue Plan” and its goal of defeating COVID-19, providing relief to families, lifting children out of poverty, and creating jobs. These are admirable and necessary goals, and we applaud the Administration’s pursuit of them.

During the interview you highlighted the Administration’s strategy for rebuilding our economy, which included transitioning coal miners to jobs rebuilding our infrastructure and transferring their unique skill set to jobs in clean energy.

West Virginia coal production decreased last week by -8.7% from the previous week.  Production from the NAPP region of the state declined by -10.4% and CAPP production decreased by -6.4% from the previous week.  National coal production also decreased week over week by -3.4%.  Production from the entire Appalachian coal region decreased by -2.7%, Illinois basin production decreased by -2.6% and Western production fell by almost -4% week over week. 

Year to date, West Virginia coal production is off by -14.6% from the same time last year:  -6.1% in the NAPP region of the state and -14.6% in the CAPP region of W.Va.  National coal production is off by -21.1%.  Production from the entire Appalachian coal basin is down by -17.3%.  

WV DEP Secretary Harold Ward announced last week that Jonathan Rorrer has been appointed acting Director of the Division of Mining & Reclamation.  Originally from Logan, WV, Rorrer started at WV DEP as a inspector in training at the Logan Field Office.  Rorrer rose through the ranks, holding various positions including Inspector, Inspector Specialist, Inspector Supervisor, Acting Enforcement Coordinator, and most recently as the Deputy Director for Program Development.  He is a 2004 graduate of Marshall University. Harold Ward, the previous Division of Mining & Reclamation Director, was appointed by Governor Justice to be the Secretary of WV DEP last week.

Last week, West Virginia coal production increased at one its highest week over week rates since the COVID pandemic, going up +12.8% from the previous week.  State production from the NAPP region increased by +14.34% and output from the CAPP region of the state increased by almost +11%. Nationally, coal production increased by  +9.6%.  Production from the entire Appalachian region increased by 

+8.7%.  Production from the Interior region increased by +9.2% and Western output increased by just over +10%.  

Last week West Virginia coal production followed a national trend, with statewide production decreasing by -3.6%, with production from the NAPP region of the state declining by -3% and production from the CAPP region decreasing by just over -4%.  National coal production declined by just over -6%.  Production in the Appalachian region declined by -6% from the previous week, Western region production fell by -5.9% and output from the Interior region declined by almost -6 ½ % week over week. 

Thermal coal prices were static from the previous week.  U.S. natural gas prices increased slightly in all the regions / hubs, increasing an average of +1.43% ($0.04) from the previous week.