The West Virginia Coal Association was invited to Thursday’s meeting of the Kanawha County Commission to discuss the impact of the recent layoff announcements that could potentially impact as many as 1400 coal miners – many of them from Kanawha and surrounding counties.  

WVCA Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton and Vice President Jason Bostic met with the Commission, providing up-to-date information regarding the layoffs. Hamilton spoke about the issue at the regular Commission Meeting Thursday evening in Charleston.

WVCA Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton was a guest on Thursday’s “After the Bell” show on Fox Business News.  Interviewed by phone, Hamilton spoke about the recent increase in coal imports from Russia, Columbia and other countries – imports that are displacing Appalachian coal in markets traditionally served by West Virginia, Kentucky and other eastern coal producing states.

Host David Asman said it was unbelievable that American coal miners were being laid off while coal was increasingly shipped from other countries due in large part to the costs associated with compliance with new federal regulations imposed by the Obama Administration.  
If you want to see the segment in its entirety, it is available at http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3730691123001/why-is-the-us-importing-coal/#sp=show-clips.

Gene Kitts, Alpha Natural Resources’ Senior Vice President for Environmental Affairs, and WVCA President Bill Raney joined federal and state political leaders Tuesday for a roundtable discussion of the federal government’s ‘War on Coal’ as well as some of the steps being taken to address the situation.  The roundtable discussion was part of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce’s 2014 Coal Symposium. 

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES - - Monday, August 4, 2014

A hundred years have passed since the American economist William Graham Sumner described “the forgotten man” of society. “He works, he votes, generally he prays — but he always pays.” A century on, there is no better description of the thousands of Americans who have toiled for generations in America’s coal mines, and who are now paying dearly for the energy follies of President Obama.

The White House has been scheming to “bankrupt” coal, a plentiful and affordable source of energy, to make way for the trendier alternatives that win the applause and admiration of billionaires from New York and San Francisco. They never have to think about their impact on coal country.

Highmark Stadium

July 30, 2014

Thank you for the opportunity to address this distinguished gathering of coal, energy and industrial workers...Workers who have collectively built this region, and for that matter, our country, into the greatest place on earth to call home.

I speak today as Chairman of the West Virginia Business & Industry Council which is comprised of more than 60 West Virginia trade associations and businesses.