Press
- Parent Category: News
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.
Read more: WV Coal Association Requests Comments Extension for OSM’s SBZ Rule
- Parent Category: News
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.
Read more: SAVE THE DATE --- WE NEED YOU THERE TO HELP SAVE YOUR JOBS!
- Parent Category: News
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!
- Parent Category: News
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
- Parent Category: News
The 2015 edition of Coal Facts, the West Virginia Coal Association’s annual report on the status of the state’s coal industry, is now available. It is available at the WVCA’s office in Charleston or for download at http://www.wvcoal.com/docs/Coal%20Facts%202015.pdf. Drop by and see us or visit our website for your copy today.
- Parent Category: News
The September episode of the West Virginia Coal Association’s Coal Seam television show was filmed this week. The special guest was Senate President and Lt. Governor Bill Cole, who discussed the issues related to the President’s Carbon and Mercury Rules and their impact on the future of coal in the state – focusing specifically on what the state can do on its own to help the industry compete while continuing to push back on the Obama Administration’s regulatory assault.
Cole also discussed the 2016 Legislative Agenda, saying that a big part of the upcoming session would be focused on tax reform and other means to help state businesses compete. The episode begins airing next week.
The Coal Seam is available on your local public access cable channel, including Suddenlink Channel 17 in the southern part of the state. Check your local listings for the dates and times.
- Parent Category: News
The Association is pleased and proud to welcome the following new members who were approved at last week’s Board of Directors’ meeting: Met Resources; Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Company; Narcelle Logistics; ESCO Corporation; URCO, Inc.; and the Rogers Group. We appreciate these new members’ confidence in the Association and we look forward to a long and active membership as we collectively address the issues confronting our industry.
- Parent Category: News
At our recent Annual Meeting, the following individuals were elected to three-year terms on the Association’s Board of Directors (their representative companies shown in parenthesis): Ralph Ballard (WWMV, LLC), Gary Bennett (Arch Coal), Russell Bolyard (L&P Mineral), Pat Graney (Narcelle Logistics), Bobby Hypes (South Fork Coal), Greg Jessee (Met Resources), Tim McLean (Walker Machinery), Marty Petrunyak (Nelson Brothers) and Mike Zervos (United Energy).
Also during their meeting, the Board of Directors elected the following officers and Executive Committee members for the next year: Chairman of the Board---Jimmy Brock (Consol Energy); 1st Vice-Chairman---Mike Carey (Murray Energy); 2nd Vice-Chairman---Jimmy Bunn II (Coal River Energy);Secretary---Gary Bennett (Arch Coal); Treasurer---Andrew Jordon (Pritchard Mining); Assistant Treasurer---Ben Beakes (Alpha Natural Resources); Associate Division Chairman---Tim McLean (Walker Machinery); Members at Large --- Mike Day (Patriot Coal), Warren Hylton (Patience Coal), Kevin Craig (NRP); President---Bill Raney; Senior Vice-President---Chris Hamilton; and Vice-President---Jason Bostic.
- Parent Category: News
Announced as “breaking” news late last week, a group of 15 state attorneys general, including West Virginia’s Patrick Morrisey, took aim at the EPA’s Clean (Costly)Power Plan on Thursday, urging the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an emergency stay of the controversial proposal’s deadlines while its legality is reviewed by the courts.
The attorneys general argued that EPA lacks the legal authority to carry out the plan and said that a stay is appropriate so that States do not have to use taxpayer resources to comply with the rule before its formal publication.