Yesterday Harold Ward, the Director of the Division of Mining & Reclamation of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) formally terminated the State of West Virginia’s participation in the federal Office of Surface Mining’s (OSM) preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to support its planned revisions to the stream buffer zone rule.  WV DEP also announced its decision to withdraw in testimony on Wednesday to the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee http://naturalresources.house.gov/subcommittees/subcommittee/?SubcommitteeID=5064

West Virginia joined Kentucky, Utah, New Mexico, Alabama and Texas in formally terminating their “cooperating agency” agreements with OSM on the stream buffer zone EIS and rulemaking. 

OSM’s revisions to the federal stream buffer zone rule, now referred to as the “stream protection rule” and their supporting EIS, are currently under review at the Office of Management & Budget. 

For a copy of the letter please contact Jason Bostic (jbostic@wvcoal.com)

The WVCA Annual Meeting registration information was e-mailed on Wednesday of this week, along with The Greenbrier’s room registration form with our special room rates.  To receive our special rates your reservations must be made by July 5^th.  And of course, we would like to have the WVCA registration form returned to us as soon as possible so we can get a good count for attendance at our Annual Meeting.  The meeting is scheduled for August 6 – 9^th and we will be celebrating our 100^th Anniversary.  Since this is our 100^th year celebration, so please note that Saturday night will be a black tie, tux and formal dress affair.  Our special photographers will be joining us so this will be the perfect time to get a formal photo of the family.

Friday evening’s Coal Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Stonewall Resort was well attended by many in the coal industry, with the evening honoring Calvin Kidd with Quaker Chemical Corp. (formerly with Long Airdox, Continental Conveyor & Joy Mining Machinery) and L. Newton “Newt” Thomas, Jr. who had a long career with Carbon Industries, Inc. We congratulate both gentlemen who are most deserving of this honor.

Once again the state baseball tournament will play at Appalachian Power Park and we will have access to their video board where our 30-second video spot will play during the tournament.  Last year more than15,000 people attended when you take into consideration fans, players, coaches, officials, etc.  Nine  games will be played and the spot will appear at least once each game.

Schedule of events, with trophy presenters needed:

Tennis – May 16 – Kanawha City Tennis Center

Track – May 22-23 – Laidley Field

Softball – May 28 – Vienna Jackson Park

Baseball – June 6 – Appalachian Power Park

The FOC Ladies Auxiliary went to Mabscott Elementary and delivered two metal cabinets with clothing for many of the area children as the school is considered one of the poorest in the county and is in need of additional outside assistance.

They have also completed two weeks of their "Coal in the Classroom".  They have two aids in each classroom who are taking in everything said, so they are educating adults, as well.  

They received a very nice "Thank You" from the state garden clubs for their donations for their state meeting.  They are getting around.

The last Wednesday of May, they will have classes from St. Francis and Sts. Peter and Paul at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine for the day and will furnish each student with hard hats, shirts, tour of the camp, ride through the mine and lunch.

The first week of June they have four hundred third graders from Logan County coming to the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  They, too, will have hard hats, shirts, the tour of the camp and a ride through the mine, plus lunch.  This is part of the Brickstreet Project.  The ladies will be ready for a break!!

Scholarship winners will be announced the first of week. Mercer, Greenbrier, Summers, Raleigh, Logan, Nicholas, and Fayette counties are represented.  The ladies are getting around!

June 19th, a Friday, at White Oak Country Club will be a fundraising golf outing to help subsidence the above mentioned projects, please set up your company foursome and attend.