According to U.S. International Trade Commission data for Jan-Mar 2013, U.S. coal exports were up 11.2% y/y to 31.8 million tons. Metallurgical coal exports for this period increased 4% y/y to 18.2 million tons. The y/y growth is primarily attributable to thermal coal exports, which were up 23% y/y to 13.6 million tons for the same period. The March 2013 export figure totaled 13.6 million tons, up from 8.6 million in tons in February and represented the single largest ever month for U.S. coal exports.

In recent years, natural gas has competed more effectively with coal as a fuel for electricity generation as the cost of operating natural gas-fired generators fell below the cost of operating coal-fired generators in some regions, changing the least-cost dispatch ordering of available units. EIA's most recent outlook shows how generation market shares respond to changing fuel prices.

In 2011, West Virginia -- the second-largest U.S. coal producer -- accounted for 25 percent of the country's 91,611 coal jobs. By 2012, the number of miners or coal-related workers in West Virginia who applied for unemployment benefits had nearly tripled to almost 6,000.

But not all is lost. Hydraulic fracturing has made tapping into shale gas a viable endeavor, and the losses in coal could be more than made up by the gains in shale. About 3.5 million jobs will be created by 2035 as the United States exploits its shale reserves, a 2012 study by IHS Global Insight estimated

The 2013 National Coal Mine Rescue, First Aid, Bench and Pre-shift Competition will be held from September 9-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. The four-day competition includes team competitions for Mine Rescue and First Aid and individual competitions for Bench and Pre-shift.

The event begins on Monday, Sept. 9, at 7 a.m., with First Aid team competition and Bench individual competition. The Mine Rescue team competition will be held Tuesday, Sept. 10 - Wednesday, Sept. 11, beginning at 7 a.m. each day. The Pre-shift individual competition will be held Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 a.m. The event concludes with an Awards Banquet on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., in the Battelle Grand Ballroom at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.  Registration is open until June 15, 2013. To compete in any of the competitions (team or individual), each person must be employed by a coal company.

Please contact Moya Phelleps at mphelleps@nma.org<mailto:mphelleps@nma.org> for additional information.

The Friends of Coal/Charleston Gazette Relays were held at Laidley Field recently in Charleston. The event featured track and field teams from across the state. It has become a major event in the state’s high school track and field schedule, while also attracting participants from Ohio. Thanks to Pritchard Mining for making sure the Friends of Coal has a named place in this all-star event.