Friends of Coal

Outreach Efforts Continue

Friday, 03 September 2010 00:00

Representatives of the West Virginia Coal Association and the Friends of Coal will be busy through the next few months. Continuing our outreach efforts around the state, the Friends of Coal has already scheduled the following events:

* (September 11) The Friends of Coal will man an informational booth at the International Resource Partners annual community event in Gilbert.

* (September 15) As noted, the Friends of Coal will join the Coalition for Mountaintop Mining for the group’s informational event in Washington, DC. The trip will focus on educating the nation’s 100 senators about the importance of coal to the nation and the role surface mining plays in the overall mining mix.

* (September 17) The Friends of Coal and the Coalition for Mountaintop Mining will present a program on the importance of coal mining to the state’s economy, as well as an informational discussion about the practice of surface mining in Appalachia to the annual Energy and Industry Session of Leadership West Virginia. The Friends of Coal and the Coalition have been asked to speak to the group about the role of coal in West Virginia.

* (October 2) The Friends of Coal will man an informational booth and display at the Coalwood Festival in McDowell County, home of the “Rocket Boys” and author Homer Hickam. We hope to see everyone there.

If you would like to schedule a representative of the Friends of Coal or the West Virginia Coal Association for your event, please contact us at 304.342.4153. Our schedules are filling fast and we very much want to meet with your group to provide an accurate portrait of our state’s coal industry.

Friends of Coal Bowl Scholarship Recipients

Friday, 27 August 2010 00:00

The Friends of Coal Bowl, September 10 in Huntington, is an exciting game every year, this year promises to be no exception as Marshall Head Coach and former WVU Assistant Doc Holliday leads his Thundering Herd against his former team. However, the Friends of Coal’s sponsorship of the Bowl is about more than just an annual football contest. The impact of this game will be felt across generations of West Virginians through the Friends of Coal Bowl scholarships given to three students at each of the two universities each year. These scholarships have funded the education for future doctors, teachers, counselors and other professionals whose mark will be made across our state and nation for generations. This year marks the fifth class to be awarded the scholarships.

FOC Spokesman on the Move

Friday, 27 August 2010 00:00

Former Mountaineer Football Coach Don Nehlen will visit with ICG Eastern’s families during their Annual Outing on Saturday near Summersville. Last week, Coach Nehlen and Coach Pruett also participated in George Washington High School’s annual football fundraising dinner in Charleston and they will tape the upcoming version of our television interview program, The Coal Seam, on Tuesday. They will also assist in the production of radio ads promoting the industry and the upcoming Friends of Coal Bowl. Those ads will begin immediately running on MetroNews’ statewide radio network.

FOC Hosts Annual "Paint the Capitol City Green"

Friday, 27 August 2010 00:00

The Friends of Coal once again sponsored the Marshall University “Paint the Capitol City Green” event in Charleston on August 18. The event featured new Head Coach Doc Holliday and his 2010 edition of the Thundering Herd football team as they prepare for the upcoming season.

More than 500 people attended the event at the Embassy Suites Hotel. West Virginia Association Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton spoke to the crowd and presented Holliday, Athletic Director Mike Hamrick and Marshall University President Steven Kopp with commemorative plaques for the upcoming Friends of Coal Bowl matchup September 10, between Holliday’s Herd and his former team, the West Virginia University Mountaineers.

West Virginia Coal Supporters Heading to Capitol Hill to Educate & Ensure Congress Understands their Economic Challenges

Thursday, 26 August 2010 14:50

August 26, 2010 (Charleston, WV) – The West Virginia Coal Association, Citizens for Coal, the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal), as well as several allied citizen and coal advocacy groups, will participate in a press conference and gathering held on September 15 on the grounds of the United States Capitol. The gathering will celebrate the American Coal Miner and the contribution coal and coal mining makes to our nation’s energy security and economic stability. Current regulatory challenges, coupled with ill-informed public opinion and damaging legislation are threatening the viability of coal mining throughout the United States and particularly in West Virginia.

“We plan to highlight the critically important role of the American coal miner and to call on lawmakers and administration officials to discontinue efforts to regulate the coal industry – and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it provides – out of business,” said Chris Hamilton, senior vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association and co-chair of the Mountaintop Mining Coalition. “West Virginia’s congressional delegation understands the importance of coal to our local economies and national energy plan, but many federal legislators and bureaucrats do not.”

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