This fall, representatives of West Virginia’s mining industry will gather at the 2012 Miners’ Celebration to recognize everyone who contributes to the enterprise.  The conference will be held Oct. 4-5 at Tamarack in Beckley.

“West Virginia’s mining industry depends upon thousands of individuals in many different roles,” said Dr. Tony Szwilski, chairman of the conference planning committee and director of Marshall University’s Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences. “Every one of these people—whether they are miners, safety engineers, environmental professionals, equipment suppliers, community leaders or teachers—contributes to each ton of coal produced.

According to the Public Information Office of the West Virginia Legislature, the following Interim Meetings schedule has been determined for the remainder of the year through the opening of the 2013 regular session. (NOTE:  Locations remain to be determined. A follow up notification will follow once locations have been released).

By Tom Wolf

Executive Director, Energy Council Illinois Chamber of Commerce

There’s a great scene in the 1983 movie classic Mr. Mom where Michael Keaton’s character is dropping off the kids at school and they’re yelling at him, “Dad! You’re doing it wrong!” Keaton doesn’t listen and gets chastised by the volunteer Mom who simply deadpans “You’re doing it wrong.”

It’s no surprise that movie memory comes to my mind when it comes to the Obama Administration’s attempt to regulate the future world of energy – specifically coal generation. In my mind they are simply doing it wrong. I think this for many reasons, including:

By Brian Keane

President, SmartPower

The Bush Administration and, yes, the Obama Administration, have both acknowledged that coal will continue to be a vital and valuable piece of our energy portfolio. After all, our nation is sitting on 500 years worth of coal – we’re not likely to just ignore it.

But at the same time, the President is focused on diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio. This isn’t designed to kill coal, but rather to increase the production of other types of energy. The strategy is not simply to replace one type of energy for another. At the rate Americans use energy, the reality is that we simply need more energy to power our lives, our communities and our nation.

By Hal Quinn

President, National Mining Association

What’s Really Causing Coal’s Decline?

Let’s start by correcting the premise. The simplest answer to the question posed by The National Journal this week is “hyperbole” is behind the talk of coal’s “decline”. Like Mark Twain’s quip about his own demise, the news of coal’s decline is greatly exaggerated. It is, nonetheless, the cause for legitimate concern among those who value affordable electricity from a secure and abundant domestic energy source. So, let’s look at the question from a more dispassionate perspective.

First of all, the “decline-of-coal” that is now the subject of inside-the-Beltway chatter is very relative. From generating virtually half the nation’s electricity for a decade, coal is now generating 40 percent-plus. And with a 260-year supply of domestic coal under our feet, Americans will be relying on coal for the foreseeable future. That’s why the EIA’s most recent Outlook projects renewed growth in 2013.