The 2015 edition of Coal Facts, the West Virginia Coal Association’s annual statistical report, is now in production and will be ready for distribution within the next two weeks. The publication will feature updates on the status of the coal industry in the state, production, employment and distribution data, a review of state coal severance tax collections and distributions as well as county-by-county data.

Support Changes to WV’s Water Quality Standards that will Help Stabilize the Coal Industry

WHEN:  July 21, 2015, from 6 to 8 p.m.

WHERE:  Coopers Rock Training Room at DEP headquarters in Kanawha City, Charleston.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has FINALLY proposed revisions to the state’s water quality standard for SELENIUM. 

The Greenbrier has reached maximum capacity for WVCA’s Annual Meeting on August 6 – 8, 2015.  If you’ve not already done so, we ask those who have rooms reserved for the meeting to please return your event registration forms, which are attached, to Sandi at the Association office as soon as possible so we can insure good counts for each of our events. The Saturday Brunch will be featuring a very special surprise guest so you want to incorporate that event into your family’s attendance plans. In addition to the fun-filled, family- focused three days we will have informative programs and special recognitions for our 100^th Anniversary, including our very own photographers being available for photos during the whole weekend.  Please call Sandi at the Association, 304-342-4153.  

The West Virginia Coal Association issued the following statement regarding yesterday’s (7/16/15) release by the federal Office of Surface Mining of the revised Stream Buffer Zone Rule.

“The unrelenting assault on coal by the Obama Administration continued today, with the issuance by the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) of new revisions to the existing Stream Buffer Zone (SBZ) rule,” said Jason Bostic, vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association.  “The OSM claims this new rule provides ‘regulatory certainty.’ How can a 1200-page rule that blurs different statutes offer clarity or certainty?”

The federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) published a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on its proposed revisions to the federal stream buffer zone rule, referred to now as the “stream protection rule” (SPR).  A copy of the 1,267-page draft EIS is available at http://www.osmre.gov/programs/RCM/docs/sprDEIS.pdf   

The official Federal Register notification of the draft EIS follows the pre-publication release of the proposed SPR by OSM and the Department of the Interior.  While the actual proposed regulatory changes have not yet been published in the Federal Register, an agency copy of the 1,238-page SPR proposal is available at http://www.osmre.gov/programs/RCM/docs/SPRProposedRule.pdf