GILBERT -- The technology to convert coal to oil, diesel fuel and gasoline has been around for more than 60 years. During World War II, Nazi Germany ran its economy largely on fuel derived from the coal mines of the Ruhr. Since World War II, the technology has languished in large part due to the availability of cheap oil.  Today, however, as the nation and the world cast a worried eye at the reliability of oil supplies from the troubled Middle East and as the price of that oil has topped $100 a barrel, more and more people are asking why America isn't making better use of its own resources -- such as our plentiful coal supplies -- to lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

Enter Transgas ... a company developed to commercialize coal-to-liquids technology.

"We are dedicated to independence, and we have seen in the past 30 years the increase in American dependency on foreign oil,” he said. “To convert coal to gas, we have had the technology for quite a few years and have had the skilled labor for it; yet, for multiple reasons, they have chosen to ignore our country’s assets. This ends today in Mingo County,” said Adam Victor, owner and president of Transgas.

Victor joined local and state political and economic development leaders Monday for the groundbreaking and dedication of a state-of-the-art coal-to-liquids production facility in Mingo County.

The Adams Fork Energy plant will be located on a 300-acre former surface mine near Wharncliffe . Construction is expected to begin in July and be completed in 2015.  It is expected to result in some 3,000 construction jobs during the construction phase, with 300 permanent direct and approximately 1,000 indirect jobs once production begins. The plant is expected to produce 6.5 million barrels (273 million gallons) of synthetic gasoline per year, by converting 2.7 million tons of coal per year. By comparison, the United States uses approximately 20.6 million barrels of oil per day.  The project has been in the works for nearly seven years.

First deliveries of the new state-issued plates will be in the mail next week

CHARLESTON – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin officially delivered the first batch of the new state-issued Friends of Coal license plates during a May 6 presentation in Charleston.  The plate, the first in the state’s history to be any color other than white, is black with white lettering and a white Friends of Coal logo on the left side.  Tomblin unveiled the plate during the joint spring meeting of the West Virginia Coal Association and the West Virginia Mining Institute. 

“I hope these plates will be an ambassador of the state and of the state’s coal industry,” Tomblin said, adding that he hopes it makes people from other states take a moment to think about the importance of the coal industry and the hard work that goes into keeping America’s lights burning.

Warren Hylton, of Patience Coal and one of the founders of Friends of Coal, was presented with the first plate.  Also receiving plates were former Marshall University Head Football Coach Bobby Pruett and former West Virginia University Head Football Coach Don Nehlen, WVCA Chairman Gary White and Association President Bill Raney among others.

“This is a fitting tribute to our working coal miners,” Raney said, “and to every one of those 63,000 West Virginians who work in the state’s coal industry. “

wvmetronews.com

The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles unveiled a brand new license plate Friday. The Friends of Coal now have a plate of their very own.

Acting Gov, Earl Ray Tomblin was on hand at the West Virginia Coal Association's annual spring meeting in Charleston to unveil the plate. He says it's a great way to promote the coal industry.

"I think that we need to get our message out. One of the ways to do that is to have what I call a moving or mobile billboard,” Tomblin said.

     

Charleston – Four of the true pioneers of the state’s coal industry were inducted into the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame during ceremonies during a ceremony May 6 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Charleston.

Those being inducted were:  former Pocahontas Land Company President Robert “Bob” Raines; the late Johnson C. McKinley, a pioneer of the northern coalfields region of West Virginia; Purnal “Judge” McWhorter of McWhorter & Associates, LLC, formerly of Phillips Machine Services, and the late J. Robert Fletcher, of J.H. Fletcher& Co.

“This is the highest honor our industry can bestow,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “This award is given to people who devote a lifetime of service to our industry and our state.  I am so proud to be able to say I know these gentlemen and count them as friends. They are gentlemen in every sense of the word. They embody the very best of our industry. Their lives of hard work, commitment to excellence and commitment to the state and its people truly light the way for the rest of us to follow.”

The Coal Hall of Fame was established in 1993 and is jointly sponsored by the West Virginia Coal Association, the West Virginia Coal Mining Institute and the West Virginia Mining and Reclamation Association. The first class was inducted in 1998.

The Mineral Resources Building of the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources in Morgantown is home to the Coal Hall of Fame.

By Jim Ross

High prices in coal used to make steel is the driving force behind recent company mergers and acquisitions.

The market for metallurgical coal used to make steel may not be as big as the market for coal used in power plants, but it's where the money is going.

Interest in metallurgical, or met, coal, which has seen significant price increases in recent months, was the driving force behind three large mergers in the American coal industry in recent months, including this week's announcement by St. Louis-based Arch Coal that is buying Scott Depot-based International Coal Group,or ICG. But West Virginia has seen renewed interest in met coal for several years as foreign steel producers have brought met coal reserves and mines.

"We have had a lot of inquiries from foreign buyers - China, Europe, India - that are wanting to buy producers of coal," said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Company.

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