According to the latest information from the U.S. Energy Information Agency, coal production in the United States was down slightly for the week ending August 24 compared to the same time last year. Production for the week stood at 19.4 million tons compared to 20.1 million tons in 2013.

Coal production for the 52 weeks ending August 9 was also off by 1.7 percent, from 993 million tons in 2013 to 975 million tons this year.  The number of rail cars loaded, however, actually rose by 0.3 percent, from 3,907,444 cars loaded in 2013 to 3,918,168 cars in 2014.

A new episode of The Coal Seam was taped this week featuring West Virginia Department of Energy Director Jeff Herholdt, who discussed the current factors related to coal production, regulation and the state’s energy mix with Coal Seam Host Chris Hamilton. 

Watch for the episode next week. It will be broadcast through most of September.  It is available on the state Library Television Network as well as your local cable system's public access channel. In the Charleston area, it is on Suddenlink Channel 17.

The Friends of Coal petition to protect America's coal jobs has collected more than 8,000 letters of support through our convenient online tool. The online tool allows you to file your comments calling on EPA to rescind its job-killing regulations that are halting the construction of new coal-fired power plants and essentially forcing the closure of existing plants.  The letters are sent directly to the EPA's official comments email address.
If you have not already done so, we ask that you visit the online petition and add your support. You can do so at www.friendsofcoal.org/soundoff<http://www.friendsofcoal.org/soundoff>.  Please do it today - for all of us!

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey today sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, which outlines further legal objections to EPA’s plan to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing and modified power plants.

In the letter, which is co-signed by attorney generals from 12 additional states, Morrisey notes EPA failed to include required and critical information in the regulatory dockets of two recent proposed rules: one relating to carbon dioxide emissions for existing sources, and one relating to carbon dioxide emissions for modified sources. Because EPA did not include in the dockets key materials on which the agency relies as support for those Proposed Rules, it violated Section 307(d) of the Clean Air Act. As such, the rules must be withdrawn.

All West Virginia Coal Association members in the Morgantown, Preston, Marion and Harrison county areas are invited and encouraged to attend the WV Business & Industry Council  regional business forum beginning at noon September 4^th at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown.  BIC has also invited Morgantown-area business community to this forum.