The U.S. Department of Energy announced cancellation of the FutureGen project that was scheduled for construction in Illinois. It will be curious to follow the discussions surrounding this decision over the next few days as coal opponents will probably declare some sort of victory while DoE officials will attempt to explain their decision through cost escalations. Interestingly, several utilities are seemingly getting closer each day to "no emissions" plants as they continue to modernize with additional control technologies. We must continue to remind the country and the policy makers that coal provides more than 12 hours of electricity to Americans each day!
Friends of Coal spokesman and professional angler Jeremy Starks is preparing for a second meeting with West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Cabinet Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer and Division of Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro. Jeremy recently met with Timmermeyer, Jezioro and Gov. Joe Manchin to discuss ways the state can more effectively make use of reclaimed mine land. Timmermeyer is gathering appropriate data for a second meeting.
Walker Machinery conducted a most successful Friends of Coal drive among its employees on Wednesday at their Belle location. The additional Walker locations will conduct similar drives to muster support for the industry and inform the coal-sensitive employees of the tremendous threats confronting our industry from extremist organizations, court decisions and mis-informed policy makers. Thanks to Steve Walker, Roger Lilly and all the wonderful people at Walker for bringing such a positive story to the public's attention. It was also featured on local television stations and the statewide radio network. Please see the Charleston Daily Mail, (http://dailymail.com) Thursday, January 31st article featuring the great day at Walker Machinery. There was also a good article in this week's State Journal.
Steve Walker, president and chief operating officer of Cecil I.
Walker Machinery Co., launched a Friends of Coal membership drive at
the company's Belle headquarters by telling workers that their jobs
depend on convincing others that coal is an essential energy source.
Employees
laid down their tools for about a half-hour Wednesday morning to listen
to Walker and Mel Hancock, a field representative of the Friends of
Coal.
Event wouldn’t be possible without efforts of Jim Justice
Jim Justice is quick to point out that it takes a village to pull off
the annual hoops smorgasbord that is the Mountain State Coal Classic.
Make no mistake, the Coal Classic is his baby.
The coal magnate, with the help of the West Virginia Coal Association, rescued the tournament when it was dying in Charleston.
Steve Walker, president of Walker Machinery, said he was preaching to
the choir at the Belle headquarters Jan. 30, but drove home the message
of evolving clean coal by telling his employees, "This is not your
grandfather's coal industry."
Walker hosted a membership drive for Friends of Coal, a volunteer
organization with the goal of informing and educating citizens about
the coal industry and its role in the future of the state and the
nation. The organization began a series of membership drives in Belle
with plans to host membership drives at all seven of its operations
during the coming weeks.
I read Julian Martin’s Jan. 13 column with interest since his comments
were in response to my op-ed piece, “Environmental activists are
obstructing W.Va.’s future,” that appeared in the Dec. 16 Sunday
Gazette-Mail, and his attacks were directed at me personally.
In his response, Mr. Martin pointed out that my company, International
Coal Group Inc., owned the Sago mine (a fact wholly irrelevant to any
debate about the state’s energy policy), and implied that I am a
criminal “against man and nature,” mean-spirited, greedy and bent on
the state’s destruction.
The Board of Coal Mine Health & Safety adopted three new mine safety rules addressing the capacity of mantrips or personnel carriers in underground mines, additional inspections of underground areas immediately following welding and cutting activities and expanded requirements for utility companies to notify mine operators before proceeding on bonded mine property and to properly mark all energized gas lines.
The rules pertaining to underground personnel carriers do not take effect until January 2008 and gas companies are afforded a ninety (90) day period once the rules are effective to mark all energized pipelines on bonded property.
URGENT URGENT URGENT
DON’T LET POLITICS INTERFERE WITH MINE SAFETY PROGRESS OR WEST VIRGINIA’S ECONOMY!
Call Your Congressperson TODAY
and Ask Them to Vote NO on S-Miner
House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) is pushing a new “mine safety” bill even before the mining community has had a chance to fully implement the bipartisan Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act. The House is set to vote on WEDNESDAY on the Supplemental-MINER Act (H.R. 2768), a bill that would impose new, unnecessary regulations on coal mining operations that will do very little to improve mine safety. Passage of this new legislation could possibly idle or close mines and have unintended, adverse effects on mine safety. ACT NOW and call your House representative and urge them to vote “NO” on H.R. 2768 when it comes to the House floor.
PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE NOW!
Congressman Nick Joe Rahall: (202) 225-3452
Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito: (202) 225-2711
Congressman Alan B. Mollohan: (202) 225-4172
The chairman of the National Mining Association today urged coal
producers to back a comprehensive climate change solution based on
funding for the technology and research needed to greenhouse gas
emission.
In a speech Thursday to the West Virginia Coal Association, James F.
Roberts, President and CEO of Foundation Coal reminded U.S.
presidential candidate that "the road to the White house travels
through coal country. Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West
Virginia-individually or collectively-likely will determine who will
next occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
Roberts warned that a chill is in the air for the U.S. coal mining
industry, "as we face challenges to both the extraction and use of coal
that could seriously dampen, if not threaten, coal's future."
People in coal country have a little different take on the idea of
finding coal in their stockings on Christmas morning, according to Dr.
C. Stuart McGehee, director of the Eastern Regional Coal Archives in
Bluefield.
“The tradition of bad little girls and boys finding coal in their
Christmas stockings doesn’t have the same meaning in coal mining
communities as it does in places where coal is not mined,” McGehee
said. “Coal mining is more than a job in coalfields throughout the
world,” McGehee said. “It is a way of life for entire families who live
in coal mining communities. Coal is mined in almost every nation.”
Governor Joe Manchin, Alpha Natural Resource President, Kevin Crutchfield, Assistant Secretary of the Army for civil Works (permitting), John Paul Woodley, WVU/WVIT President and energy advocate, Dr. Charles Bayless and Kenneth Nemeth, Executive Director of the Southern States Energy Board will head up an impressive line up of speakers and presenters during WVCA’s 35th Mining Symposium.
The three-day event scheduled for January 9, 10, & 11 in Charleston will feature an up-to-date review and discussion of current energy trends, mine health and safety developments and environmental topics.
Other confirmed speakers include Richard Stickler (MSHA), Jeff Kohler (NIOSH), Mike Duffy (FMHSRC), Ron Wooten (WVOMHST) and Randy Huffman (WVDEP). One or more members of our Congressional Delegation will also likely address the Symposium.
The annual mine safety and environmental workshops will be held concurrent on Wednesday, January 9th. The Mountaineer Guardian Luncheon is set for January 10th when mining operations from around the state are recognized for their safety achievement and the traditional Mine Reclamation Luncheon which showcases exemplary mine reclamation sites from around the state is planned for January 11th.
If you have not registered please contact Sandi (sdavison@wvcoal.com).
Courts are not the proper forum for making rules in such situations
West Virginians have good reason to regulate how companies mine coal.
They have had to live with the consequences of reckless production
practices.
They also have reason to object to reckless judicial rule-making.
The public has, through its representatives in legislative bodies,
established rules for mountaintop removal mining. Environmental groups,
disapproving of those rules, seek to re-shape the regulations using the
courts.
