Coal production in the U.S. continued to decline this past week according to the latest report from the Energy Information Agency (EIA) and the National Mining Association.

Production in the United States is down by more than 2 million tons (10%) for the week ending March 28 compared to the same time last year. Production for the week stood at 18.27 million tons compared to 20.28 million tons for the same week in 2014. Cumulative production for the year-to-date also remained down as of March 28 coming in at 229.13 million tons compared to 237.10 million tons last year – a decline of 3.4%.

WVCA Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton will be the keynote speaker at this month’s meeting of the Kanawha Valley Mining Institute tonight, April 2, in Charleston. Hamilton will speak about the recently concluded legislative session, the changes the Legislature has undergone since the GOP takeover in the November elections, coal-focused legislation that was passed as well as other legislation the industry would like to see in the future.

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin will be presenting CEDAR with a Coal Education Proclamation declaring the week of April 19 – April 25, 2015 (14^th Regional Coal Fair to be held at the Chief Logan Convention Center) Coal Education week in West Virginia, on Monday, April 13, 2015 at 1:30 p.m.  Burch Elementary second grade class (Helen Curry teacher) will be present for the proclamation.

The West Virginia Business and Industrial Council has partnered with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the West Virginia Economic Council to sponsor a series of business and political forums around the state during 2015. 

Our goal is to bring attention to local economic activity and future growth opportunities. The forums will feature up-to-date discussions on tax and legal fairness, as well as educational, energy and general business topics. They will include a line-up of industry and business leaders from around the state.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service published a Federal Register Notice today formally designating the Northern Long-Eared Bat as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.  The F&WS has also published an interim rule to address activities that may adversely impact the bat and its habitat.  Information on the listing and the interim rule are available at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/04/02/2015-07069/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-threatened-species-status-for-the-northern-long-eared