The Association and the industry were well represented at Governor Joe Manchin’s second inauguration this past weekend and Monday. The Sunday evening black tie Sponsors’ Gala was attended by a broad array of Association members, many who braved long trips in adverse weather to attend. The Governor was officially sworn in on Monday (1/19) afternoon on the steps of the State Capitol with the Inaugural Ball being held on Monday evening. As is usually the case, the industry and the Association can be extremely proud of the overwhelming representation from General as well as Associate members.
Governor Manchin spoke positively and aggressively about the importance of coal in his less than fifteen minute Inaugural speech on Monday. He pointed to the availability, reliability and strong heritage of West Virginia coal always rising to meet the ever-demanding needs of the country and the State. He indicated that today was no different than it was during the Industrial Revolution and the World Wars and we must all work together to directly address the misinformation and controversies surrounding coal today. Here are some relevant excerpts from the speech:
"And let us commit to investing in the energy of the future. West Virginians know energy better than almost anyone. This has been our expertise for generations, and we can't let it go now. That means finding more efficient sources of energy. It means using natural gas, and renewable alternatives like wind, solar, hydro and biofuels.
And it means coal - coal that's safer than nuclear energy, cheaper than solar power and, unlike most of our oil, which comes from the Middle East, coal comes from right here in West Virginia.
We have the opportunity to use coal, through a much cleaner process, to help our nation become more secure through energy independence. And West Virginia has the researchers with the knowledge to make it happen. Because, our greatest resource isn't in our land, it's in our people.
If we tap that resource, the progress we have made will be just the beginning.
As your governor, I've had the chance to talk to people from every corner of the world about our state -- the beauty of our mountains, the pride of our people, the strength of our ties to the land, to our history and, most importantly, to each other.
As a salesperson, I have the greatest job in the world - because I have the best product to sell: the State of West Virginia and our people.
We have reason to be proud of our past. West Virginia has an extraordinary story. And it still has lessons for us now, as we look forward to the years to come.
West Virginia has played a major role in making America strong. The coal that our ancestors mined far beneath these mountains fueled the Industrial Revolution. it stoked the steel factories that rose up all over America. The railroads that crisscrossed the nation... The Navy ships that flew our colors during the world wars... they were all powered by coal, West Virginia.
And when it came time to go to war, it wasn't just West Viriginia coal powering the armies of Democracy... it was West Virginians themselves - serving and sacrificing in far greater percentages than many other states.
We made America strong... and we kept America strong.
