The West Virginia Coal Association hosted its 42nd Annual Mining Symposium on January 28th-30th in Charleston. More than 500 people attended the event with 35 vendors on hand with exhibits of equipment and services.
“It’s, we think, the largest gathering of coal people in one building anywhere in West Virginia,” said Bill Raney, the president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “It gives everyone a chance to share technical expertise through sessions, emerging technology, changing rules, new policies ... everything that affects the coal industry.”
The symposium is an opportunity to get some of the top minds in the business to toss around ideas in efforts to improve what they do.
“We’ve got a whole big room full of expert engineers and equipment technicians and people that are superintendents and presidents of companies. All kinds of consulting engineers and safety engineers,” Raney said. “It’s just a good time to exchange ideas. You try to prime that pump with whoever is on the podium. You try to get them to talk about the new stuff, the changing stuff. So that gets everybody talking during the course of the two-and-a-half days.”
This year’s Mining Symposium included a full day of training and information sessions focused on mine safety and environmental regulations and issues. Speakers for the day included Eugene White, director of the West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health, Safety and Training; Kevin Strickin, MSHA Administrator, along with regional directors Carlos Mosley (District 3), Scott Manderville (District 4) and Tim Watkins (District 12); Ginger Mullins of the Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Roger Calhoun, director of the Charleston Field Office of the Office of Surface Mining.
Thursday’s session had a broader focus, with presentations by our Chairman Jimmy Brock of Consol Energy; Governor Earl Ray Tomblin; the State of Alabama’s Climatologist, Dr. John Christy of the Earth System Science Center; Joe Main, MSHA’s Administrator; Ernie Thrasher of XCoal, who spoke on the issue of coal exports; as well as two extended panel discussions with West Virginia’s new Congressional delegation – Rep. David McKinley, Rep. Alex Mooney and Rep. Evan Jenkins; and the new West Virginia Legislative leadership team – Senate President Bill Cole, Speaker of the House Tim Armstead, Senator Jeff Mullins and Delegate Woody Ireland, w ho are the chairmen of the energy Committees in their respective houses.
Friday’s session featured presentations by the Major General Jim Hoyer, WV’s Adjutant General; WV Attorney General Patrick Morrisey; Justice Brent Benjamin of the West Virginia Supreme Court; Bob McLusky of Jackson Kelly and Harold Ward of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. West Virginia Senior Senator Joe Manchin was on hand for the Friday morning session, providing insight into what he sees ahead in the U.S. Senate this year.
The coal industry is a close-knit group, sort of like an extended family, which makes the exchange of ideas that much easier. “There’s a lot of camaraderie in the industry,” Raney said. “People like to share their thoughts, particularly if they’ve got something that works. So, it’s a good idea to get them all under one roof and encourage discussions.” Events like this are important because of regular changes on federal safety rules, environmental rules and even drug testing regulations.
“Every day, there are new innovations that come along,” Raney said. “Hopefully, they’ll reduce costs and be every bit as effective.” West Virginia faces different challenges than other coal-producing states. This is why state legislators are working with the coal industry to help in much-needed reforms, “things that we do here in West Virginia that are unique compared to what is done in other states,” said Raney. “These reforms will maintain our high levels of health and safety as well as environmental protection, while helping ease the challenges to our ability to compete
Representatives from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland attended this year’s symposium. “They’re here to find out how the best coal miners in the world keep West Virginia as the second leading coal-producing state in probably the toughest regulatory and physical environment anywhere in the world,” Raney said.
The Thursday and Friday sessions also featured awards ceremonies for mine safety and environmental achievement. See below for a full run-down of the awards.