By  George Hohman
Charleston Daily Mail
 
The president of the West Virginia Coal Association lashed out at President Barack Obama's administration for not caring about the Appalachian coal industry.
 
"The Obama administration cares nothing about coal operations in Appalachia," Bill Raney told students and alumni Tuesday during a presentation at the University of Charleston's Graduate School of Business. "It's a political statement but it's something I believe and I believe I can back it up."  Raney said the Obama administration tries to halt mining at every turn.
 
"Our biggest problem is permits with the EPA," Raney said, referring to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Permits have been hung up since the Obama administration took office. I think they've issued four. They've absolutely stopped them. They've relied on water quality as the reason.
 
"They want us to treat water at the head of streams for selenium. We're held to a selenium standard that's 10 times greater than what drinking water is. That makes absolutely no sense.
 

The Mine Safety Technology Consortium at the 2010 TRAM Conference as we promote the latest innovations for mine safety and training. On display we will be a new lighting system from RSL Fiber Systems, training information from Commercial Training Solutions, and a display for the Lifepod Emergency Management System.  TRAM Conference October 12-14, 2010 This tuition-free seminar provides opportunities for health and safety trainers to improve their training programs with new ideas and new materials.
 
The workshops cover a wide variety of topics pertinent to both metal/nonmetal and coal mine trainers, such as:
 
-- Workshops; Ergonomics for Drivers and Equipment; Operators Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Training; Audience Response Units ; Communications with Independent Contractors
Part 46 and Part 48; Health; Rules to Live By; Equipment Safety; Instructor Fundamentals
 
Participants may select from 60-70 relevant workshops to attend. The small group format encourages interaction between the participants and the workshop leaders. For more information on this seminar, contact program coordinators Bob Glatter, at (202)693-9575 or email glatter.robert@dol.gov, or Belinda Browning, at (304)256-3326 or email browning.belinda@dol.gov. 
 

The Friends of Coal is continuing its outreach efforts on several fronts into the fall. In addition to a full schedule of conferences and events planned for the fall, the organization is hosting various groups of college students interested in learning about the industry.
 
Earlier this week, the Friends of Coal spoke with a group of students from the University of Charleston and a group of Wheeling Jesuit students will be in visiting on October 21. 
 
In addition, Friends of Coal was represented this past weekend at the annual Rocket Boys Festival in Coalwood. More than 3,000 people were on-hand for the event held in the hometown of the Rocket Boys, made famous in the movie “October Sky.”  
 
Later this month, the Friends of Coal will be taking part in a conference hosted by the West Virginia State Board of Education intended to begin development of a secondary schools curriculum to prepare high school students for careers in the energy and mining sector. The conference will be held in Fairmont.
 
And the Friends of Coal will be attending the annual meeting of Create West Virginia in Wheeling later this month. Create West Virginia is an extension of the Vision Shared organization, founded by the late-Gov. Cecil Underwood to lead the economic development and diversification efforts of the state.
 

The West Virginia Coal Association and the Friends of Coal joined with the Summersville Chamber of Commerce to host the 2nd Annual Coal Symposium Tuesday in Summersville.