Please remember, the following deadlines for the upcoming general election:

Voter Registration Deadline Oct 16

Early Voting Begins Oct 24

General Election November 6th

We have never faced an election more vital to the future of our industry, our state and our nation. As you well know, this election is most important as the future of coal and our industry hangs in the balance.

As we have said many times, the major challenges and issues facing the industry today are political in nature being driven by political agendas that require political solutions. Please make every effort possible to mobilize your friends and family to assist in getting out the vote.

This past Monday, the Association filed comments with the federal Fish & Wildlife Service on the agency’s proposed designation of the diamond darter as an endangered species. Concurrent with the proposal to list the species as endangered, the agency proposed to designate several miles of the Elk River as “critical habitat” to protect the continued existence of the small fish species. The population in the Elk River is the last known occurrence of the diamond darter in the country. For a copy of WVCA’s comments contact jbostic@wvcoal.com

Last week, the State of West Virginia joined several national groups in filing amicus briefs in the federal EPA’s appeal of a decision from Judge Amy Berman Jackson which invalidated the agency’s retroactive veto of Clean Water Act Section 404 permit issued to Mingo Logan Coal Company for its Spruce No. 1 mine. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the permit in 2007 and EPA revoked the permit in January 2011. Mingo-Logan challenged EPA’s revocation and in March 2012 Judge invalidated the veto action in its entirety. EPA has appealed Jackson’s decision to federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. For a copy of West Virginia’s amicus filing contact jbostic@wvcoal.com

On September 20, 2012 the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources published a report regarding the federal Office of Surface Mining’s (OSM) efforts to revise several federal mining regulations under the banner of a “Stream Protection Rule.” The revisions were undertaken by OSM in 2009 and sought to void a previous rulemaking effort which was completed in 2008 that revised the federal stream buffer zone regulations regarding mining activities in and around streams. The Natural Resources Committee began an oversight investigation of OSM’s actions up to and including the issuance of subpoenas for documents and to compel Congressional testimony from certain OSM officials. (continued)

The national tour bus for the “American Products, American Power” group rolled into Charleston last week on the latest leg of its tour across the country to raise awareness of the importance of America’s energy and manufacturing sectors to our economy.

The group visited the West Virginia Coal Association offices in Northgate Business Park, discussing the issues and filming an interview segment with WVCA President Bill Raney. Association staff signed the bus, joining the tens of thousands of others who have done so to show their support not only for our industry, but our nation’s industrial core, which faces similar threats from federal regulatory overreach. The bus will be delivered to Congress as a large petition supporting coal as the fuel of choice for America.