BLUEFIELD -- The West Virginia Coal Association and Friends of Coal will be attending the Bluefield Coal Show on September 16-18 at the Brushfork Armory on Bramwell Road. The annual event continues to grow and today is considered one of the major regional shows in the U.S. Recent shows featured approximately 240 exhibitors displaying first-hand what the future holds in the way of equipment and new innovative technologies being developed in the coal industry. We hope you will join us and show your support for the state’s leading industry at the 2015 Bluefield Coal Show on September 16, 17, and 18. Registration forms are available at http://www.bluefieldchamber.com/bluefield-coal-show.
CHARLESTON – The Association today sent a request for an extension of the comment periods for OSM’s proposed Stream Buffer Zone Rule. Following is the letter.
September 5, 2015
The Honorable Sally Jewell, Secretary
United States Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20240
Dear Secretary Jewell,
On behalf of the members of the West Virginia Coal Association who are responsible for approximately ninety-five percent of West Virginia’s annual coal production and approximately 65,000 direct and indirect jobs in the State, we request a 120-day extension of the comment period on the proposed rule published by your Office of Surface Mining (OSM) on July 27, 2015 at 80 Fed. Reg. 44436, regarding stream buffer zones.
The federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) will hold a public hearing in Charleston on Thursday, September 17, 2015 on what they’re calling the Stream Protection Rule (SPR), which is actually the Stream Buffer Zone Rule and is a complete “rewrite” of the federal surface mining act to the detriment of the mining industry and landowners across the country. This hearing will be held at the Charleston Civic Center, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The actual hearing will not begin until 6:00 p.m., but we need to have plenty of miners, suppliers, their families and supporters there early to insure we get signed up to speak before others. Prior to the Charleston hearing, there will be hearings (noted below) in Pittsburgh and Big Stone Gap, VA, which also need strong industry participation. The earlier hearings in Denver and Lexington, KY have been successful with good industry presence and involvement.
CHARLESTON -- If you were at the Charleston Embassy Suites Thursday August 27th, you would likely have been bowled over by a sea of green and white. The Marshall Thundering Herd was in town with Head Coach Doc Holliday and the 2015 Herd Football Team to kick off the season with the annual Paint the Capital City Green Event sponsored by the Friends of Coal.
West Virginia Coal Association Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton was on hand to lead off the event again this year. Hamilton hosted several of the players at the FOC’s table during the event. Hamilton also presented Friends of Coal gift baskets to Coach Holliday, Marshall University President and former WVCA Chairman Gary White and Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick.
It was a great event celebrating one of the state’s leading universities and its leading industry.
#GO HERD!
The federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) will hold six public hearings on what they’re calling the Stream Protection Rule (SPR), which is actually the Stream Buffer Zone Rule and is a complete “rewrite” of the surface mining act to the detriment of the mining industry and landowners across the country.
These hearings will be held during the month of September with the one in Charleston scheduled for Thursday, September 17th at the Charleston Civic Center. We’re already hurting bad enough, without them “piling on” with more over-reaching regulations.
We need YOUR help! Please RESERVE THE DATE in hopes you, your coworkers, family, suppliers and friends will “pitch in” to help us protect our coal miners’ jobs from this latest attack by Obama’s War on Coal!
PLEDGE TO ATTEND - REGISTER TODAY!
Thursday, September 17, 2015
City: Charleston, WV
Location: Charleston Civic Center
200 Civic Center Dr., Charleston 25301
3:30pm - Gathering at the Civic Center Coliseum for short rally, informational session on rule and distribution of signage and materials.
5:00pm - OSM public hearing on rule begins
