On Wednesday, Patriot Coal Chairman Rick Whiting announced that Paul Vining was stepping down as President and Chief Operating Officer, but will remain in a transitional advisory role over the coming weeks. As Rick will assume the title of President while remaining Chairman, Chuck Ebetino was named Chief Operating Officer, overseeing all of Patriot’s mining operations. Chuck has more than 30 years of operating and commercial experience in the coal and utility industries, including 10 years as President & Chief Operating Officer for American Electric Power's coal mining subsidiaries. Also on Wednesday, Mark Schroeder was named to oversee Patriot's Corporate Development function and Bob Bennett will serve as Patriot’s Chief Marketing Officer, reporting directly to Chairman Whiting.
We all wish Paul the very best and express our appreciation for all of his dedication and guidance as the Association’s Treasurer for the last several years while being an active, involved member of the Association’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.The Friends of Coal once again sponsored the Marshall University “Paint the Capitol City Green” event in Charleston on August 18. The event featured new Head Coach Doc Holliday and his 2010 edition of the Thundering Herd football team as they prepare for the upcoming season.
More than 500 people attended the event at the Embassy Suites Hotel. West Virginia Association Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton spoke to the crowd and presented Holliday, Athletic Director Mike Hamrick and Marshall University President Steven Kopp with commemorative plaques for the upcoming Friends of Coal Bowl matchup September 10, between Holliday’s Herd and his former team, the West Virginia University Mountaineers.
West Virginia Coal Association Vice President Jason Bostic is the guest for the current episode of The Coal Seam, airing through the end of the month. The episode looks at the environmental and regulatory issues currently confronting the mining industry in Appalachia.
A new episode will be filmed next week to begin airing throughout September that will feature former West Virginia University and Marshall University head football coaches Don Nehlen and Bob Pruett. Nehlen and Pruett will discuss the upcoming Friends of Coal Bowl and the outlook for the upcoming football season for both universities. The show will also feature clips of previous games and their roles as FOC spokesmen and the current challenges facing the state’s coal industry.
The Association and the Friends of Coal continued its outreach efforts this past week with a day at the West Virginia State Fair. Located next door to the West Virginia Building, the tent was staffed throughout the day on Friday, August 20 and saw a great deal of foot traffic. Visitors were provided license plates, stickers, information about the mining process and its role in the West Virginia economy and saw displays about surface mining, post-mine land use and the process of restoring the land. More than 200 people signed a petition to support coal mining in our state as new members of the Friends of Coal.