Dear Friends:

Over the years, there have been many myths written about coal.

It was once said that coal grew from seeds in underground caves, guarded by demons and dragons. Coal was once praised for its medicinal powers to protect against plague, while others cursed it for causing baldness. In 14th Century England, King Edward I – you will remember him as Longshanks from the movie “Braveheart” – launched the medieval environmental movement when he tried to ban the burning of coal, proclaiming that anyone caught using it would suffer the loss of his head. In 19th Century America, coal was considered a “green” alternative energy, advocated by those who opposed the hunting of whales for oil, and the destruction of forests for wood.

It looks kind of like a class reunion, old friends catching up.

In a way that's exactly what the Coal Symposium is but the discussions aren't just chit chat, they're about ways to make the coal industry the best it can be.

Randall Maggard, Argus Energy, "It's a chance to exchange ideas and find out more information."

The symposium isn't just for the coal companies, vendors are on hand to tout the latest and greatest technologies out there.

The President of the West Virginia Coal Association says he's hoping those who attend the Coal Symposium at the Charleston Civic Center start viewing coal from a national perspective, not just in terms of the state’s economy.

"It's so vital not only to West Virginia, but to this entire country," Bill Raney says.

The 36th Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium
February 18, 2009
       
Thank you Bill (Raney) for that very kind introduction. 

And thanks to you and Chris Hamilton and the entire West Virginia Coal Association for inviting me to speak with you today.

I want to talk very directly with you about what I see on the horizon in West Virginia and in Washington for coal, for climate change, and for a national energy policy.  

We have a great deal at stake – with some unprecedented opportunities, and some real risks and I want us to go into it together.

Earlier today the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a decision reversing two earlier rulings from District Court Judge Robert Chambers regarding coal mine permitting by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act.  The Fourth Circuit reversed the March 2007 decision from the District Court concerning the adequacy of mine specific mitigation practices and the appropriate scope of the Corps’ review under the CWA and the National Environmental Policy Act.  The appeals court also reversed the second opinion from Chambers that was issued in June of 2007 concerning the proper regulatory treatment of mining-related sediment ponds under the CWA.  
 
The 2-1 decision of the Fourth Circuit is a strong opinion, providing a great deal of deference to the Corps’ interpretation and implementation of its mining permit review and mitigation processes.  
 
The Association will be reviewing the decision in the coming weeks in order to properly assess its implications for other challenged section 404 permits and the overall permitting program in Huntington. 

Download PDF of Circuit Court Decision

February 18 – 20, 2009
Charleston Civic Center
Charleston, West Virginia

Use read more to view entire agenda.

U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has been a tireless advocate of the coal industry. Now, she has a forum through which to provide more influence on energy policy.
Capito has been appointed as a member of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

We hope House leaders - who have made their dislike of coal obvious - did not merely appoint Capito as window-dressing for the panel. Her views are important. And, whether liberals in Congress like them or not, Capito is right to insist that coal needs to be a major part of national energy policy.

No doubt she will encounter substantial opposition as she explains why that is so - but we do not expect Capito to back down. We encourage her to be a strong voice for coal. More important, we urge her peers in Congress to listen to what she has to say.

The Wheeling News-Register

Bluefield Daily Telegraph - They may sit on separate sides of the aisle when they go to Charleston next week on Feb. 11, but during an editorial board session last Monday at the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, members of the southern West Virginia delegation of the state legislature expressed absolute unity in their support for the state’s coal industry.

“We’ve had a lot of talk about environmental concerns from mining coal, and I think all of us want to be better (stewards) of the environment,” Delegate Daniel J. Hall, D-Wyoming said. “Obviously, we need to improve, but we don’t need to make it tougher for these guys to mine coal.

“I don’t think we see the same things in the economy here in southern West Virginia as they do in other parts of the country,” Hall said. “I know coal is down, but you look at ICG in Beckley — they’re still hiring. Cleveland Cliffs in Pineville had a lay-off, but they’re still working. Obviously, the economy is a concern, but I don’t think the recession will be as severe here as it may be in other places,” he said. “Obviously, the economy is down, but we don’t need to make it tougher on those guys (who mine coal.)”

Also on Tuesday, 2/9, the Commercial Motor Vehicle Weight and Safety Enforcement Advisory Council will meet to receive public input on proposed legislation and rules governing operation on the CRTS—the Coal Resource Transportation System.  That meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the Public Service Commission’s offices in Charleston . 

On Tuesday, February 10th, “Buck” Harless will receive the HOPE Award from the WV Chapter of the National MS Society at a dinner at the Charleston Civic Center . 

The Kanawha Valley Mining Institute will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, February 5 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn in South Charleston .  Montgomery Equipment will sponsor the meeting with Anthony Salm & Mike Burnham of First National Capital Corp. as the speakers.  The Annual Awards of KVMI Charles Bowling Scholarships will also be awarded.

For additional information go to:  http://www.kvmi.org/user/2009-2-5_Meeting_notice.pdf

You can also register on line at:  http://www.kvmi.org/contact.html

An important safety training tool is now available at no cost.  Escape & Survive – A Miner’s Town Hall Meeting has been released as an online webcast.  From the convenience of your home or office, you can participate in a unique forum on the latest developments in underground mine safety, emergency response and mine rescue regulations, practices and technology.

The webcast supplements and supports the Penn State training program “Do You Understand Mine Emergencies?  Are You Prepared For A Mine Emergency?”  The full program is available via download from a link on the webcast site or on a CD available from Mine Safety & Health Administration.

Jeff Wood, energy development specialist for the WV Division of Energy, is a new employee of the Office of Coalfield Community Development.  His principle focus will be to ensure that the office is meeting its legislative mandate and to help local and state development groups assess opportunities in the reuse of surface-mined lands.  He will be assisted in this effort by the WV Geological and Economic Survey, the WV DEP and the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center (MATRIC).  Wood was instrumental in the creation of MATRIC which working as a vice president of the Business & Industrial Corporation (BIDCO) in Charleston .

Greater use of clean coal is essential to driving job creation, economic stimulus and environmental solutions.  In a recent national poll, a record 72 percent of opinion leaders said "yes" to the use of coal to generate electricity and a record 69 percent said coal is a fuel of the future.
 
The two websites indicated below are useful resources for educational material about clean coal:
 
Coal Can Do That
 
Peabody Energy has relaunched CoalCanDoThat.com, part of our award-winning campaign to educate Americans about the benefits of clean coal. The interactive website offers blogs from leading energy experts, the latest energy headlines, downloadable podcasts and coal facts, studies and other resources about the world's fastest-growing fuel.
   
National Mining Association
 
The National Mining Association’s (NMA) website has a new section that provides factual information on the next generation of clean coal technologies—Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).  The new section was developed to help answer fundamental questions about CCS, provide cross-references to studies and information on domestic and international CCS projects, set CCS within the context of other clean coal technologies and further establish NMA as a reliable source of information with policymakers and their staffs.   
 
Learn more about CCS at nma.org/ccs.

Column by Nate Waters

January 29, 2009

Mining receives a great deal of negative publicity due to concerns over the impacts on the environment and worker health and safety. However, mining provides us with minerals that are essential to our everyday activities. Many materials that are used in our lives originate from plants or are naturally occurring minerals found in the earth. Agriculture provides cotton, food, lumber and many more necessities. However, agriculture cannot meet all our needs.  The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 10 tons of minerals must be mined annually for every person. Minerals are a vital component in nearly every activity we do.  Turning on a light switch, walking on sidewalks, brushing our teeth, the change in our pocket, and using cosmetics, computers, fertilizers and many others involve using minerals that have been mined.

Talc, a mineral mined in the U.S., is used in baby powder, cosmetics, rubber, ceramics, paint and paper, just to name a few everyday items.  Gold can be found in many areas in the U.S., but is primarily mined in Nevada. Gold has many uses, including jewelry, computers, glass production, and even in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Copper is also used in our daily activities. Millions of miles of copper wire are used to transfer electricity to our technology-driven lives. Copper is mined in the Western U.S., where one of the largest copper mines in the world can be found: Bingham Canyon Mine near Salt Lake City, Utah.

PRELMINARY AGENDA
 
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

9:00 a.m.        Registration
 
HEALTH & SAFETY SESSION
10 A.M. – 5 P.M.

10 a.m.           West Virginia Safety Update
                            Ronald Wooten, Director
                            WV Office of Miner’s Health, Safety & Training
10:45 a.m.      Federal Issues Affecting the Industry


Now I praise coal and for reasons the mainstream press and other media will studiously avoid telling you. Coal, as you may recall, is on the Obama hit list because its use, according to the environmental loonies, will doom the Earth to a global warming that is not happening.

The United States is home to huge deposits of coal. It is second only to China in terms of total coal consumption. In 2007, the U.S. used about 1.1 billion tons of coal. According to an authority on energy, Robert Bryce, “That’s the energy equivalent of about 4.2 billion barrels of oil per year or about 11.5 million barrels of oil per day.” By way of comparison, “America’s daily coal ration contains more energy than Saudi Arabia’s daily oil production.” That’s a lot of energy.

CHARLESTON, W.Va.--As President Barack Obama's stimulus plan gains traction in Congress, Sen. Jay Rockefeller wants to ensure it benefits West Virginia by including investments in clean coal technology.

Rockefeller, D-W.Va., pressed for a greater investment in clean coal during the Senate Finance Committee's confirmation hearing this week for new U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

The senator has even been pitching his ideas for carbon capture and sequestration to Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, according to Rockefeller's office.

"The United States has more than a 250-year supply of coal, and a lot of it is mined by hard-working people in West Virginia," Rockefeller said. "As a coal state senator, I believe that there can be no serious discussions about our energy future or climate change unless we're willing to make immediate, significant and sustained investments in carbon capture and sequestration.

[googlevideo:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1024721633053711359]

A preliminary agenda and another registration form have been sent under separate e-mail to all Coal Bits recipients.  If for some reason you do not receive please let us know via e-mail atsdavison@wvcoal.com
           
With the move to the  Civic  Center , we are excited about the space that will be available to us for additional exhibits and meeting set-up.  We will also be initiating a new feature of the Symposium with the Associate Member Welcoming Reception to be held directly after the completion of the Health & Safety and Environmental Sessions on Wednesday.  The host hotel is the Holiday Inn Express, located directly across from the  Civic  Center (304) 345-0600 and it will also be the location of some Hospitality Suites sponsored by various Associate Members.  We will have a list of those in the final program.

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