Press

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The West Virginia Coal Association today welcomed the final passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) by Congress and its anticipated signing by President Trump. The legislation marks an important step toward restoring balance and accountability in American energy policy.

"For years, the coal industry has been burdened by excessive regulation and uncertainty. The OBBB helps reverse that trend by implementing reforms that ease permitting, improve access to federal lands, and eliminate policies that placed domestic producers at a disadvantage," said Chris Hamilton, president of the WVCA.

Read more: West Virginia Coal Association Welcomes Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill

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The West Virginia Public Service Commission recently issued orders that, once implemented, will extend the life of state coal-fired power plants, and through that, reinvigorate coal production in our region.  

Based on provisions included in House Bill 2014, legislation to incentivize microgrid and data center development in West Virginia, the PSC orders require West Virginia’s regulated utilities to update their Integrated Resource Plans to include a detailed plant upgrade and maintenance plan, improvement compliance schedule, and cost estimate for ensuring the operation of each generating unit through their planned retirement date. The supplemental integrated resource plan shall also include an analysis of the action necessary to extend the life of each generating unit beyond their planned retirement date.

Read more: WV Public Service Commission Orders Will Help Reinvigorate Coal Industry

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Dear Governor Morrisey:

Thank you for including us in the development and passage of HB 2014 “Power Generation and Consumption Act". Full implementation of this legislation will serve to solidify West Virginia's place as the nation’s "Energy State".

With coal being the centerpiece of the initial phase of this legislative act, we are eager to work with you and your staff towards shoring up our in-state coal assets so they can provide higher volumes of base load power supplies to serve growing power demands, including new data centers that are incentivized in HB 2014. 

Read more: WVCA Letter to Governor Morrisey on HB 2014

Parent Category: News

A proposed $1 million per ship fee on Chinese manufactured transport ships, will have serious repercussions affecting coal exports around the world. 

In the waning days of the Biden Administration, five national labor unions filed a petition with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 requesting an investigation into the acts, policies, and practices of China in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors.. Section 301 allows the United States to respond to unreasonable or discriminatory foreign government practices that burden or restrict U.S. commerce. Arguing that the “American commercial shipbuilding industry is a shell of its former self,” the petition stated that the number of commercial shipyards in the United States had significantly decreased, jobs had been lost, and U.S.  amounted to only a fraction of one percent of the world’s commercial vessels. The petition alleged that China, as the world’s largest shipbuilding nation, has “seized market share, suppressed prices, and created a worldwide network of ports and logistics infrastructure that threaten to discriminate against U.S. ships and shipping companies, disrupt supply chains, and undermine vital national security interests.” As of 2025, Chinese manufacturers accounted for more than 50 percent of the world's transport ship builds.

In April 2024, the USTR initiated the investigation indicating the allegations “reflect what we have already seen across other sectors, where the PRC [China] utilizes a wide range of non-market policies and practices to undermine fair competition and dominate the market, both in China and globally.”

On January 16, 2025, as the Biden administration was winding down, the USTR released its report and findings in the investigation, concluding that China’s targeted dominance in these maritime sectors is unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce, and is thus “actionable” under Section 301. Federal Register Notice of Determination notes that the investigation determined:

• China’s targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance is unreasonable because: it displaces foreign firms, deprives market-oriented businesses and their workers of commercial opportunities, and lessens competition; and it creates dependencies on China, increasing risk and reducing supply chain resilience. China’s targeting for dominance is also unreasonable because of its extraordinary control over its economic actors and these sectors. 

• China’s targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance burdens or restricts U.S. commerce by undercutting business opportunities for and investments in the U.S. maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors; restricting competition and choice; creating economic security risks from dependence and vulnerabilities in sectors critical to the functioning of the U.S. economy; and undermining supply chain resilience.