Our social media web is seeing rapid growth and our linkages with otherorganizations are expanding quickly. For example, on a recent post, essentiallyan online ad entitled “Coal – It’s a Family Thing”featuring a miner walking up a road with his two young children, his smalldaughter carrying his dinner bucket, was viewed by more than 20,000 people in a24-hour period. 

In total, our social media presence provides exposure of our message toapproximately 500,000 people each and every week and this exposure level isbuilding with the addition of the other pages shown above and our developmentof linked messaging with them.

The new FACES radio message began airing this week in the counties bordering Ohio and Pennsylvaniaand three more of ours are in the production phase expected to begin airingnext week.

The coal industry and the people of West  Virginia won another in a series of court decisionslast Friday when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of WestVirginia issued its ruling in the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition v. UnitedStates Army Corps of Engineers case. The Court said in essence that it is thesole purview of the states, their elected policymakers (such as theLegislature) and state regulatory agencies determine water quality standardswhen granting mining permits.

This is the fourth court decision in recent months that has essentially knockedthe legs out from under the Obama Administration’s war on coal, allsharing the common finding that the EPA has breached the rule of law and the limitationsimposed on it by Congress and usurped the powers of Congress and the states.

The First Tee of West Virginia, Raleigh and Fayette County Chapter held the“First Tee Coal Miners Hall of Fame Classic” last Friday &Saturday at the White Oak Country Club in Oak  Hill, WV.

WVCA Board member Robert Worley, President of Baylor Mining in Beckley was this year’s inductee intothe First Tee of West Virginia’s Coal Miners Hall of Fame.

The tournament was designed to recognize an individual who had dedicated mostof his or her life to promote and work in the coal industry in WV whilesimultaneously giving back to the community and exhibiting the core values ofthe First Tee.

Congratulations Bob, Great Job!

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) has named Robert M.“Mike” Duncan as president and CEO, effective September 10.

Mike brings wide experience in energy policy and business to ACCCE. Working with elected officials at every level and in all political parties, hehas served as board member and chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority;assistant director of the Office of Public Liaison in The White House; chairmanof the American Crossroads 527 committee; and chairman of the RepublicanNational Committee, just to name a few of his roles.

Mike will succeed Stephen L. Miller, who is retiring after 17 years service toACCCE.