By Phil Kerpen

Obama’s War on Coal has already taken a remarkable toll on coal-fired power plants in America.

Last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a shocking drop in power sector coal consumption in the first quarter of 2012. Coal-fired power plants are now generating just 36 percent of U.S. electricity, versus 44.6 percent just one year ago.

It’s the result of an unprecedented regulatory assault on coal that will leave us all much poorer.

Last week PJM Interconnection, the company that operates the electric grid for 13 states (Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia) held its 2015 capacity auction. These are the first real, market prices that take Obama’s most recent anti-coal regulations into account, and they prove that he is keeping his 2008 campaign promise to make electricity prices “necessarily skyrocket.”

By Phil Kerpen

Obama’s War on Coal has already taken a remarkable toll on coal-fired power plants in America.

Last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a shocking drop in power sector coal consumption in the first quarter of 2012. Coal-fired power plants are now generating just 36 percent of U.S. electricity, versus 44.6 percent just one year ago.

It’s the result of an unprecedented regulatory assault on coal that will leave us all much poorer.

The Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary has a new web site and are asking everyone to visit the new web site www.friendsofcoalladies.comas many times as you can.  For each time you visit, the web site moves up so when you type "coal" into your search engine the web site will be one of the top listed in your search.   The site also hosts a full store for purchase of FOC items and wearing apparel.

The Coal Preparation Society of America (CPSA) has named Art Sanda executive director.  Sanda has been manager of public relations and government affairs for Eastern Associated Coal Corp., editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Coal Age magazine and will continue to be contributing editor for Coal People magazine.  Sanda will be the first executive director of the Society which is celebrating its 10^thanniversary. 

At its May meeting held at the 2012 International Coal Prep Conference and Exhibition in Lexington, KY, CPSA also elected a new slate of officers.  Elected to two-year terms of office were Robert W. Hollis, vice president preparation for James River Coal Co., as president; R. Hunter Davis, manager of coal preparation for Alliance Coal, LLC, as vice president, and Michael Ferguson, vice president ofTaggart Global, LLC, as treasurer.  Barbara Arnold, president of Pro Tech, Inc., was re-elected to a two-year term as secretary.

In last week’s Coal Bits a story copied from the Charleston Gazette told of the WV Army National Guardsmen who were assisting and consulting with mining operations in Mongolia.  The three guardsmen listed are all employees of member companies. 

First Lt. Joshua Poling of Morgantown works for CONSOL Energy’s Robinson Run Mine, 1^st Lt. John Sinsel of Grafton is an employee of Arch Coal and Staff Sgt. Tommy Wolford of South Williamson, KY works for Alpha Natural Resources’ Northern Kentucky Unit. 

We appreciate all that our members do at home as well as abroad.