Doctors Jim and John Brick of WVU’s Medical School joined with the leaders of Marshall’s Medical School and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine to break ground on the Larry Joe Harless Community Health Center in Gilbert on Thursday.  The clinic was started in the Larry Joe Harless Community Center more than three years ago by WVU and is expanding into a new 12,000 square foot space being renovated in the Center.  It will provide primary care five days a week to the citizens of Gilbert and the surrounding area.  Throughout the groundbreaking ceremony it was mentioned that the Clinic would never have been realized had it not been for the vision and tremendous support of “Buck” Harless. 

The Pocahontas Coal Association will meet Tuesday, December 7^th, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the Princeton Elks Club.  As is tradition at the December meeting, the Pocahontas Coal Association and the Bluefield Daily Telegraph will be presenting the High School Football Player of the Week awards, as well as the Player of the Year award.  For more information contact Jason Fannin at 276-623-2914 or 276-698-5317 or by email at jfannin@alphanr.com.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released two weeks ago faulted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) enhanced review of 79 surface coal mining-related Section 404 permits.  The report found that the agency:

·  Has been ineffective in enhancing coordination or streamlining the permitting process;

·  Hinders coordination by failing to send decision-makers to monthly meetings of regulators and stakeholders;

·  Requests substantive changes in processes that have already been approved and begun, resulting in additional delay and cost;

·  Encroaches on state authority by insisting on how mines are to be designed;

·  Fails to communicate to state officials all pertinent information required for state permit consideration and approval; and

·  Adds to the uncertainty by preventing permit applicants from sharing information from past reviews.

GAO concluded that only six permits have been issued since EPA began its enhanced review in early 2009; 36 permits are still waiting to be in the enhanced review; and only one permit is currently under enhanced review. The GAO report was requested by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall.   This report should be strong information for the investigations that have been promised by new House leaders.  Overall, the report questions the legality of some of EPA’s review practices and its attempts to usurp the authority of the Corps of Engineers over the Section 404 program and of the states on related water quality matters. A copy of the report is available upon request.

During the month of November the Association’s websites received considerable attention.

The Friends of Coal website, www.Friendsofcoal.org, had more than 1500 visitors for the month with over 5000 individual page views. Eighty-one percent (81%) of the visits were first timers with over 61% of the visitors coming from search engines. Visitors also came from over 26 countries and territories across the world.

The Coal Association’s website, www.wvcoal.com, had more than 3600 visitors and over 8200 individual page views, with sixty-two percent (62%) percent of the visitors coming to the site for the first time.  Over 71% of the total visits came from search engines with visitors from over 77 countries and territories.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today released an updated list of public hearings on the proposed rule "Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous Personal Dust Monitors.” The amended notice is available in today's Federal Register, and a copy is available at http://www.msha.gov/REGS/FEDREG/PROPOSED/2010PROP/2010-30099.asp. This notice indicates changes to the dates of the Washington, Pa., and Arlington, Va., hearings, as well as the addition of a seventh location in Prestonsburg, Ky. 

The proposed rule was published Oct. 19 and is available at http://www.msha.gov/REGS/FEDREG/PROPOSED/2010Prop/2010-25249.pdf.