West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney said the rules are having a negative impact on power plants and pocket books of people in West Virginia.

By Courtney Clark
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CHARLESTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency's air quality rules and how they impact the coal industry are the focus of this year's West Virginia Coal Forum.

The event kicked off Wednesday morning at the Marriott in Charleston.

It featured United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, representatives of West Virginia's Congressional Delegation, members of the state Legislature and representatives of the coal industry.

West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney said the EPA's "unrealistic rules, politics and time tables" are having a negative impact on power plants and pocket books of people in West Virginia.

"These negative impacts, they'd be bad on their own, bad at any time, but they really seem ridiculous today when the country's economy is absolutely in shambles," said Raney.

According to Raney, the rules not only affect West Virginia, but the entire country.

They also touched on other coal-related issues, such as the level of competitiveness and productivity of the industry, miner's health and safety issues, and the overall image of the coal industry.

During the special session, lawmakers passed a bill giving coal-producing counties more money from the coal severance tax.

 

HAMLIN -- Lincoln County leaders want to spend some of the extra money from the coal severance tax on extending water and sewer lines. They believe that could attract more business to the county, which would create more jobs. That's good news for Melissa Holstein, of Alkol. She wants better water and a better job.

“That way we could go get jobs outside home health care and get a better paying job that would bring more money into the family to take care of the children,” said Holstein.

“People wouldn't have to drive to Southridge, Madison, and Huntington for work,” said Latisha Dotson, of Woodville.

County commissioner Thomas Ramey said the county has started the process of putting sewer lines in the Alum Creek area of the county. With Southridge nearby, many believe the Alum Creek area is ready for growth.

“Economic development is coming our way. We have to have the infrastructure in place in order to accommodate that. That's our biggest barrier,” said Larry Stutler, executive director of the Lincoln Economic Development Authority.

More businesses mean more tax revenue for the county, and more tax revenue could mean more money for county departments and services, like the library.

“It would come in handy with the books, children's books, and the story hour we have in the summer time,” said Alma Cummings, a librarian at the Hamlin-Lincoln County Public Library.

Under the legislation, Lincoln County would get an additional $150,000 in coal severance money. Each year that would increase. After five years it would max out at $500,000.

Stutler said he is talking with three companies who are taking a serious look at setting up shop in Lincoln County. While not giving specific details, he did say the companies are located in and outside West Virginia.

In a new study, Roy Spencer, Ph.D -- a prestigious former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) climatologist who currently works at the University of Alabama -- has examineddata between 2001 and 2011 gathered by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer sensor housed aboard NASA's Aqua satellite.

The study was published [PDF] in the peer-reviewed journal Remote Sensing.

The data reveals yet another thorough analysis of atmospheric heat dissipation -- an important factor in heating or cooling.  And like past studies, it found that the Earth's atmosphere shed heat at a much faster rate than what's predicted in widely used global warming models.

MOUNDSVILLE - A busy year for coal production in Marshall County will help bring a number of major upgrades to various county departments over the next fiscal year.

However, none will be more visible than a new annex to be built behind the Marshall County Courthouse in the coming calendar year.

CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Coal Association today announced the re-election of Gary White, of Gilbert, as its chairman of the board for the upcoming year. It is White’s second term as the Association chair. Bill Raney will continue as president, joined by Chris Hamilton, senior vice president, and Jason Bostic, vice president.