The new Radio spots may be accessed by going to:
http://www.wvcoal.com/index.php/new-coal-radio-sports.html
A recently-renovated, two-story building (6,000 sq. ft) with full, finished basement is for sale in Smithers, WV just off Route 60. Suitable for mine offices, warehouse or training building. Call 304-382-7161 for details.
Alliance Resource Partners announced the opening of a new mine for the immediate development of ARLP’s Tunnel Ridge reserves. The reserve encompasses approximately 9,400 acres of land located in Ohio County, West Virginia and Washington County, Pennsylvania and includes approximately 70.5 million tons of high-sulfur coal in the Pittsburg No. 8 coal seam. ARLP will develop Tunnel Ridge as an underground longwall mining complex employing as many as 300 workers by the end of 2010.
The Association met with Natalie Tennant, Democratic nominee for West Virginia Secretary of State this week. The meeting was one of a series of meetings with candidates in preparation for the upcoming general election.
The West Virginia Coal Association and the Friends of Coal are near agreement to provide a monthly television show to the state Library Commission television network for broadcast on public access channels across the state. Our goal is to have the show on the air with an initial broadcast in January. Plans include current news affecting the mining industry, features about individuals within the industry and about the industry itself.
The West Virginia Coal Association and Friends of Coal continue to host the Met-RX World’s Strongest Man Competition here in Charleston. During the past week, the association held a dinner at the Charleston Civic Center for contestants, families and staff. The event drew more than 250 people and featured the barbequed ribs of Charleston Mayor Danny Jones.
The following day, production staff were taken on a tour of Andrew Jordon’s “Four-Mile Mine” in Kanawha County. The tour featured an up close and personal look at modern surface mining. Highlights of the two events will be featured on the ESPN broadcast of the competition later this year.
The Miners Safety and Health Administration has proposed new drug and alcohol testing standards for the nation’s mines. Perhaps the most important of the new provisions is the requirement to provide “job security” to first time violators while they “seek appropriate evaluation and treatment.”
Under the new regulations, companies are required to refer those who test positive for the first time to the appropriate employee assistance program (EAP) for counseling. During counseling, the employee will continue to work in their existing jobs until such time as the miner is in compliance with counseling requirements.
Copies of these standards are available from WVCA.
Earlier this week the Association and the U.S. Department of Justice filed briefs with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit regarding location of sediment control ponds below mining operations. The filings are in response to a request from the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition that the Fourth Circuit take “judicial notice” that in-stream sediment ponds are not essential to mining industry in Appalachia as evidenced by the construction of a sediment control pond out-of-stream at a particular mine site. The responses seek to clarify that location of the SMCRA-required ponds is dictated by site-specific circumstances, and while instances may exist where topography is such that ponds can be built outside of the stream channel, for the most part the steep terrain of Appalachia requires that ponds be constructed “in-stream”, which is why federal law provides for them. The Fourth Circuit will hear oral arguments in the appeal of the Chambers’ decisions later this month on September 23, 2008. Judge Chambers held that the construction and permitting of in-stream ponds was prohibited under the federal Clean Water Act.
Earlier this week the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) formally withdrew its proposed revisions to the state’s Water Quality Standards rule (47 CSR 2). The revisions, which would have been considered by the Legislature in the 2009 Regular Session, would have designated all state waters as public drinking water supplies, or Category A use designation, which was inaccurate.
The Small Mine Safety Conference is set for September 17 at the Chief Logan Convention Center in Logan. The purpose of the Safety Conference is to provide a forum to review and discuss developing mine safety technologies and new regulatory requirements imposed by state and federal law. We are a co-sponsor of this meeting along with KCA, NIOSH, MSHA and the WVOMHS&T.
For more information about the meeting contact:
Lou Prosser, NIOSH
P.O. Box 18070
Pittsburgh, PA, 15236-0070
Email: lfp2@cdc.gov
Phone: 412-386-4423
There is no cost for this meeting but you must register with NIOSH to attend.
The Board of Directors of the National Mining Association (NMA) has elected Harold (Hal) P. Quinn as the association’s president and chief executive officer. Several of you know Hal and the talent, energy and commitment he brings to this position. His depth of knowledge and experience in representing mining’s interests has been honed through twenty years of work before all three branches of government. The board has great confidence in his ability to successfully implement our strategic policy objectives at this pivotal time in our nation’s history.
More than 800 people were on hand for the festivities of the 11th annual “Paint the Capital City Green” which was jointly sponsored by the Friends of Coal and Marshall University Alumni on August 20 at the Charleston Embassy Suites.
Music by the Thundering Herd band as well as a rousing pep assembly featuring the Marshall cheerleading corps and Marco got the crowd into the spirit. After remarks by Marshall University President Stephen Kopp and Governor Manchin and others, WVCA Vice President Chris Hamilton took the stage. Offering the 2008 limited edition coin as an auction item for a new costume for Marco, the crowd rallied and brought in $3,000.
Imagine West Virginia, a non-partisan think tank affiliated with A Vision Shared, a statewide economic development organization, released the results of a study to the Coal Forum’s Summit held in August stating that coal is an essential component of any new national energy policy far into the future. It cannot be replaced by any other source today and provides a safe, dependable and clean alternative to foreign oil in the short-run.
Several thousand people attended the Bluefield Coal Symposium during the two-day event, August 25 – 27, making it a huge success.
WVCA President Bill Raney told those in attendance that “One life lost is too many. We are working hard to eliminate workplace injuries and deaths. We believe achieving a zero rate is possible.” West Virginia’s coal miners are safer today than they ever have been and the state’s producers and union officials are determined to continue to improve on the effort.
The global energy crisis has created both opportunities and challenges for the coal industry and the future depends on the industry’s response. Patriot Coal’s CEO, Richard Whiting, speaking to the WV State Chamber of Commerce’s Business Summit at The Greenbrier, said the world currently uses 6.6 billion tons of coal each year, with the US alone accounting for 1 billion tons. Whiting said he expects the total to rise to 8 billion tons – a 19 percent increase – within just a few years as the demand from rapidly growing nations of China and India continues to grow. Right now, Patriot’s exports to China and India account for 15 percent of its total sales.
Any football fan would have thought he had died and gone to heaven this past Labor Day weekend…in actuality he was just in Wheeling. Six of the best high school football teams from across the nation were in town for a three-game exhibition. The games were preceded Sunday by a very special “Evening with Coach Nehlen and Friends”, celebrating the 50-year career of a college football coaching legend.
Former football coaching legends, former players and other guests were on hand to mark the occasion with Coach Nehlen. The event was hosted by original ESPN personality Roy Firestone and was attended by 400 plus guests.
Labor Day saw action begin with a noon game between the Cleveland-Glenville Tarblooders and the Thomas Jefferson (PA) Jaguars. At 3 p.m. the Lakeland Dreadnaughts (FL) took on the Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings (PA) and then at 6 p.m. the Wheeling Central Catholic Maroon Knights teed it up against the Steubenville Catholic Central Crusaders (OH). A huge crowd enjoyed the Labor Day festivities.
