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Newsroom

Lack of Public Hearing Frustrates Coal Supporter

Jul 28 – The Office of Surface Mining’s “open house” format has drawn the ire of coal supporters that say it prevents a full demonstration of support for coal across the Appalachian region. “We need to demand a public hearing just like we are entitled to,” says Sate Senator Brandon Smith of Hazard, echoing the frustration of many coal supporters. “As a senator I am concerned that they are trying to pull this sort of slip-shuck approach about something so important.” Coal is of vital importance for all of Appalachia and in Kentucky, coal provides direct or indirect jobs for 84,000 people and $10 billion for the state’s economy. “Coal is our lifeline and coal is America’s ace in the hole, whether the Obama administration wants to realize it or not,” says State Representative Fitz Steele. “There are no party lines; it’s either you’re pro-coal or you’re anti-coal mining.” Read more in The Hazard Herald.

Coal Industry Advocates Speak Out Against The Feds Latest Attack on the Mining Industry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Jul 27 (Beckley, WV) – The US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement (OSM) appears to be joining with their sister agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in trying to make the mine permitting process even more lengthy and complicated than it already is, representatives from the coal industry and local government announced at a news conference in Beckley today.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is holding a public “open house” at the Beckley Convention Center today from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. to discuss potential changes to its already complex mining regulatory program. A similar event will be held tomorrow – Wednesday, July 28 – in Morgantown at Mylan Park from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said, “The changes being proposed by OSM – the most sweeping since 1983 – have the potential to destroy thousands of jobs that depend on coal, cripple local communities and hamper the economic vitality of the entire Appalachian region. I would encourage the public to come out and tell OSM how they feel about the federal government’s continued efforts to eliminate mining in Appalachia. If you can’t attend in person, send your comments to them via email at sra-eis@osmre.gov.”

Roger Horton, founder of the group Citizens for Coal and a working miner, said, “At a time when one out of every ten American workers is unemployed, America does not need another set of new regulations. Thousands of people that make their livelihoods off mining coal could be put out of work if these anti-industry regulations go forward.”

Emmett Pugh, Mayor of Beckley, said, “The mining industry employs more than 1,400 people in Raleigh County. That equates to nearly $90 million in wages and more than $2 million per year in severance tax income to fund vital public services locally. Industry and the environment can co-exist in a responsible fashion and I hope OSM takes that into consideration.”

Bryan Brown, West Virginia coordinator for the FACES of Coal Campaign, said, “In just the past year, the federal government has severely delayed the issuance of mining permits, set out to revoke Arch Coal’s Spruce Mine Permit and added unattainable water quality standards on the coal industry. Now, OSM is adding insult to injury by proposing a new set of regulations. We can only hope OSM will take into consideration the jobs, taxes and economies its regulations will impact.”

The Federation for American Coal, Energy & Security (FACES of Coal) is an alliance of people from all walks of life who are joining forces to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining to our local and national economies and to our nation’s energy security. For more information about FACES of Coal, visit: www.FacesOfCoal.org.

Op-Ed: Encourage Two-Year Restriction of EPA

Jul 26 – “The death – at least for now – of cap and trade means Obama’s administration will move forward with plans to cripple the coal industry through Environmental Protection Agency mandates,” says an op-ed in the Wheeling Intelligencer. The piece encourages Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to push for legislation that would place a two-year hold on the EPA’s ability to create new restrictions and seek the support of fellow lawmakers for the effort. The ongoing anti-coal actions of the activist EPA – indefinitely holding needed mining permits, releasing new crippling regulatory guidance – combine to threaten thousands of jobs and the regional economy. “Reid, Pelosi and Obama will not be happy about their defeat in the Senate. They will push the EPA to accelerate its anti-coal campaign. Only a bill such as Rockefeller’s can stop it,” says the op-ed. Read more in the Wheeling Intelligencer.

NMA Files Suit Challenging Obama Administration on Mining Permits

Jul 23 – The National Mining Association filed suit against the Obama administration and EPA’s arbitrary mining regulations that threaten the future of Appalachian coal. “The agencies’ [EPA] continued abuse of the law to impose arbitrary standards on mining operations, state agencies and other federal regulatory bodies threatens the entire [Appalachian] region with further economic misery and stagnant employment,” says National Mining Association President Hal Quinn. The EPA’s April 1^st, 2010 guidance imposed severe regulatory limits on mountaintop mining permits which could cause thousands to lose their jobs and impact communities across Appalachia. “Members’ efforts to navigate this unlawful process and obtain reasonable and predictable permit terms have been unsuccessful, leaving us no choice but to challenge the EPA and Corps policy in court,” says Quinn. Read more in U.S. News & World Report.

“They Don’t Care About West Virginia”

Jul 20 – “Coal is [West Virginia's] economic engine,” says WV Coal Association President Bill Raney. “Whether you like it or not, before you ask to take a person’s job, a coal miner’s job, please sit down and have a conversation about it. Don’t take a surface miner’s job based on policy. They want to mine coal and they’re good at it. They’re good people.” Raney met with Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce to talk about the importance coal to the state and the frustration with an administration that is currently putting policy in front of jobs, the economic vitality of the state and a commonsense approach to the nation’s energy needs. “We’re under attack by the Obama administration,” says Raney. “They don’t care about West Virginia – they don’t care about Appalachia.” Read more in the The Journal.

Auto Fair Draws Coal Supporters

Jul 19 –“We represent the [coal] industry on a national level and we heard what a great thing was going on here and wanted to be able to support all levels of activity for the mining industry, whether it’s state, local or regional,” says Moya Phelleps of the National Mining Association on the Friends of Coal Auto Fair. The fair, which brings together enthusiasts of classic cars and supporters of Appalachian coal, in a fun, summertime setting was a success in its seventh year running. “We have had many coal miners in our family and it has always been a part of our lives, so we come to show support…” says Jeanie Harnest of Daniels, WV, one of the many coal supporters that attended the show. Read more in the Beckley Register-Herald.

Coal Vital During High-Demand Summer Months

Jul 13 – A summer temperatures rise and the demand for electricity increases dramatically, coal provides the needed energy supply that prevents grid overloading and crippling blackouts. “Coal alone is supporting the PJM [Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland] base load demand. According to the West Virginia Division of Energy, our state ranks second in coal production, at 148 million tons per year. Additionally, the coal from West Virginia is a major source of energy for 32 states,” says Truman Chafin, Majority Leader in the West Virginia Senate. Coal helps prevent blackouts in your community and helps miners in Appalachian support their families through jobs and – yet, coal has been under attack by an EPA that offers no viable solutions that match coal for our nation’s energy supply needs. “There is no concrete solution to the war on coal, but the facts remain the same. Coal is the fuel for our nation. We need it,” says Chafin. Read more in West Virginia’s legal journal, The Record.

EPA’s Delay Tactics Endanger Appalachian Jobs

Jul 12 – “According to a recent study by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s minority staff, the Appalachian region could lose one-fourth of its coal-mining jobs if the EPA continues its delay tactics. Workers in the transportation, equipment manufacturing and utility industries will also see a reduction in demand if the coal industry is dismantled,” says Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in a Politico opinion piece. Capito is frustrated with the regulatory authority that the EPA is wielding in a punitive manner – enacting regulations that only apply to six Appalachian states without regard for the region’s jobs, communities or impact on the nation’s energy supply. “With national unemployment still hovering around 10 percent, and no relief in sight, families can ill afford to lose these good-paying jobs,” says Capito. Read more in Politico.

EPA Mining Ban Will Wipe Out Thousands of Jobs

Jul 7 – “Although it cannot create jobs, government can retard job creation. An EPA ban on mountaintop mining will wipe out thousands of jobs in Appalachia, according to the National Mining Association,” says Jeffery Folks in an American Thinker piece. Folks goes on to list the variety of ways in which the Obama administration has failed to create jobs, while utilizing an activist EPA to create arbitrary and unreachable permitting standards that will force domestic energy businesses out of existence – without regard for the thousands jobs, billions for the nation’s economy that will be lost. “The EPA may issue a permit or may be overruled by other authorities, but its behavior is a good example of the way government works — or doesn’t work,” says Folks. Read more in the American Thinker.

“We Don’t Buy that Logic”

Jul 6 – “EPA may believe that the cost of tens of thousands of high-paying jobs and millions of dollars of tax revenue is worth it to save a small number of some genera of invertebrates [mayflies], but we don’t buy that logic,” says Rick Flesher president of the coal and environmental testing firm Standard Labs. Flesher, in a Charleston Daily Mail opinion piece, decries the “unbelievably severe” conductivity standard set by the EPA when “conductivity levels are affected by both man’s activities and nature’s processes” and in light of the healthy mayfly populations in West Virginia. Flesher highlights one of the underlying aspects of the new standards – the political agenda that seeks an end to mining: “Our EPA should balance a need to continually improve water quality with protecting jobs. Their efforts can only be explained as an attempt to accomplish a political agenda – that being the elimination of mining and other industries in Appalachia.” Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Countering the “War on Coal”

Jul 1 – “[WVU professor Michael] Hendryx is following a political agenda, the logical result of which would be to decimate the economy of the coal-producing states and perhaps the nation,” says International Coal Group general counsel and senior vice president Roger Nicholson in a State Journal op-ed. The piece was in response to an earlier op-ed authored by Hendryx that – using “manipulate selective facts” – vilified coal as the source West Virginia’s ills. Nicholson counters with the many benefits coal provides: the health advantages of our nation’s electrification, an abundant domestic energy supply and the many jobs coal mining provides. Nicholson also calls out the EPA’s “war on coal” and the development of unreachable standards that threaten to take away the many advantages coal has provided to West Virginia and the nation. “As the Environmental Protection Agency has waged its unrelenting war on coal, it has been unable to prove that surface mining has created long-term harmful effects to aquatic and human life downstream. Indeed, in order to achieve its goals, it had to set conductivity standards that no developmental activity — not coal mining (surface or deep mining for that matter), not road-building or even Wal-Mart construction — can meet,” says Nicholson. Read more in The State Journal.

“Anti-Coal Agenda”

Jun 30 – “It is clear that this EPA has an ‘anti-coal’ agenda,” says John Combs in a Lexington Herald-Leader op-ed, responding to the June 18^th article on the suspension of Appalachian mining permits. Combs goes on to point out the “partisan maneuvering and political games” in Washington, D.C. that have allowed government agencies – the EPA – to follow “radical agendas” that leave those Appalachian residents that depend on the coal economy increasingly concerned about the future of their livelihoods. “If there were any logic at all to these [EPA water quality] standards, shouldn’t they apply to all industries and all states? As they do not, the only possible explanation is that this is yet another blatantly biased attempt to target coal, and in so doing the men and women of Appalachia,” says Combs. Read more in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

FACES of Coal Expresses Sadness and Appreciation in the Passing of Legendary West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Jun 28 (Charleston, WV) – Robert C. Byrd, 92, a West Virginia Democrat who became the longest-serving member of Congress in history and used his knowledge of the institution to shape the federal budget, protect the procedural rules of the Senate and, above all else, tend to the interests of West Virginia, died at 3 a.m. Monday at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Northern Virginia. Bryan Brown, West Virginia coordinator of FACES of Coal, released the following statement concerning Senator Byrd’s passing.

“Senator Byrd was a tireless worker for the people of West Virginia and his contributions to our great state and this country are truly inspirational. He was a man who was raised in the coal fields and was a tireless worker in trying to make miners safer, often asking the country to appreciate West Virginia’s greatest natural resources, coal and the coal miner. The news of Senator Byrd’s passing brings sadness to all West Virginians. The Senator’s service to this great state and our nation will always be appreciated and remembered.”

The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal) is an alliance of more than 60,000 people from all walks of life who are joining forces to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining to our local and national economies and to our nation’s energy security. In addition to keeping tens of thousands of people employed in good-paying jobs, coal is the lifeblood of our domestic energy supply, generating nearly half the electricity consumed in the United States today.

WV Chamber of Commerce Blasts Coal Report “Fiction”

Jun 25 – The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce draws attention to the biases and “fiction” found in a recent coal study – partly financed by environmental organizations – that claims that coal mining is a drain on the state. “These environmental groups have advocated for policies that would end coal production in West Virginia and put tens of thousands of miners out of work,” says Steve Roberts, President of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The organizations that helped fund the report include the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, two organizations that are part of professional environmentalist establishment that seek an end to the use of Appalachian coal. Both groups do not recognize coal as a vital source for thousands of jobs and a major economic engine driving the state’s economy. “This report was created by people who are staunchly anti-coal, oppose job growth in the production sector and who seek to drive away the coal and manufacturing industries which pay the highest wages, offer the best benefits and fuel much of West Virginia’s economy,” says Roberts. Read more in the Beckley Register-Herald.

“Unfair Standard”

Jun 24 – The move to strike down the Obama administration’s offshore drilling plan by Louisiana judge Martin Feldman is viewed as a decisive move against an administration that applies unfair regulatory standards without regard to impact. Dan Page, in a State Journal op-ed, applauds the decisions and ties it to the current plight of Appalachian coal. “Federal regulators are imposing one set of water standards in Appalachia and another set in the rest of the nation. They treat the disturbance of soil and rock associated with coal mining differently than they do excavation for construction,” says Page. The need for action against unfair Appalachian coal standards is evident as the nation tries to pull itself out of a recession — but is stymied time and again by an administration that cannot understand the importance of our most abundant energy supply – one that provides thousands of jobs and powers our nation. “So now we wrestle here in America and West Virginia, one side saying we can’t rely on fossil energy and the other knowing full well that it is our lifeblood,” says Page. Read more in The State Journal.

“Dagger at the Appalachian States”

Jun 22 – The coal permitting woes in Appalachian increased exponentially with the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers suspension of the Nationwide Permit 21 for mining operations – which could further debilitate vital Appalachian coal economy. “It’s yet another wrenching, economically heedless change in mining regulations by the Obama administration. One day, everyone in one of West Virginia’s most important industries knew the regulatory rules for multimillion-dollar operations. But the new administration has reviewed the rules and simply changes them overnight,” says an editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail. The permit suspension is the latest in a long line of oblique permitting rules and regulatory changes by the Obama administration that fail to consider the importance of coal to the Appalachian economy and the nation’s energy needs as a whole. “This is further debilitation of getting mining permits and modifying permits that need to be modified,” says Bill Raney of the West Virginia Coal Association. “This is simply another absolute dagger at the Appalachian States.” Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

WV Governor Underscores Importance of Domestic Coal Energy

Jun 21 – West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin underscored the importance of coal for America’s energy security and warned of the “self-inflicted economic harm” if efforts to curtail the use of coal by the Obama administration and Congress continue. “Why don’t you [congressional leaders] just say, ‘We want to quit mining coal in America?’ If that’s your intention, then God help us as a nation, because we’ll become dependent on someone else mining the coal for us, as we’ve become dependent on someone else to deliver the oil to us,” says Manchin. The Governor highlighted the efforts to “overregulate and overtax” by the administration, while reminding of the long history of coal powering – and creating – the nation. “It’s basically the energy (miners) have produced that’s made the country what it is today,” says Manchin. “We’ve built the greatest industrial might, and we’ve built the greatest middle class … in recorded history, and we’ve done it off domestic energy.” Read more in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers Decision: “Wrong Direction”

Jun 18 – The United State Army Corps. of Engineers (USACE) decision to suspend use of Nationwide Permit 21 (NWP 21) for Appalachian mining activities make it more difficult to mine effectively and adds to an already unclear permitting situation. “This decision takes us in the wrong direction,” says National Mining Association President Hal Quinn. “The nationwide permitting system, which applies to a wide range of economic activities, provides for a more efficient permitting process.” NWP 21 is utilized for everything from mining to road building to development construction and is required to authorize discharges of dredged or fill material. Without NWP 21, the permitting situation for Appalachian coal, where dozens of permits still under ongoing “enhanced review” by the EPA becomes even more confusing and hinders the economic vitality of the region. “The current backlog of coal mining permits in Appalachia clearly demonstrates the consequences of eliminating this important regulatory tool. Today’s decision will slow job creation, add further uncertainty to the permitting process and undermine our ability to utilize the nation’s most abundant domestic energy resource — coal,” says Quinn. Read more in The State Journal.

Army Corps of Engineers Continues to Challenge Coal Mining in Six States

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Jun 17 (Charleston, WV) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it has suspended the use of Nationwide Permit 21 (NWP 21) in the Appalachian Region of six states. NWP 21 is used to authorize discharges of dredged or fill material into water for surface coal mining activities. The suspension is effective immediately and applies to the Appalachian Region of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. NWP 21 permits continue to be available for coal mining operations in other regions of the country.

“Appalachian coal mining operators made the transition from NWP 21 Permits to Individual Permits in response to the June 2009 Memorandum of Understanding between the Corp and other federal government agencies, but has encountered one obstacle after another that have prevented these operations from securing the permits necessary to sustain business and the jobs of Appalachian workers,” said Bryan Brown, state coordinator for the FACES of Coal. “This is just one more way for the current administration to say “No” to the workers of Appalachia and put more burdens on job creation in a troubling economic time.”

The suspension in these states will remain in effect until the Corps takes further action on NWP 21 or until NWP 21 expires on March 18, 2012. While the suspension is in effect, individual surface coal mining projects that involve discharges of dredged or fill material into water will have to obtain Department of the Army authorization under The Clean Water Act, through the Individual Permit process.

Brown continued, “This decision hinders economic growth and stability, does little to clarify an already unclear permitting process and makes coal, our greatest natural resource, more difficult to mine effectively. It’s disappointing.”

FACES of Coal to the EPA: Conductivity is Not the Way to Measure Water Quality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Jun 15 (Charleston, WV) – The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal) released a video on its website, http://www.facesofcoal.org/ today explaining in easy-to-understand terms and examples why the use of conductivity is an ill-advised and inappropriate measure for water quality impairment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued guidance on water quality requirements for coal mines in six Appalachian states. This guidance, which was announced on April 1, 2010 and became immediately effective, relies solely on electric conductivity (also known as specific conductance) as an indicator of water quality impairment.

In the FACES “Conductivity 101” video, Ben Faulkner, a stream scientist and environmental consultant based in West Virginia, explains that conductivity measures the ability of a given quantity of water to conduct electricity at a specified temperature. It is neither a meaningful measure of contamination nor of the ability of a given body of water to meet its designated use. Faulkner explains that conductivity is a tool used in the field as an initial screening tool—not to identify the cause of any water quality impairment

“EPA’s actions have been extremely frustrating for a number of reasons, but the agency’s sole reliance on using conductivity as a water quality standard is among the most troublesome,” said Bryan Brown, West Virginia State Coordinator of FACES of Coal. “This is yet another example of bureaucrats in Washington overreaching in their regulation of an industry with no concern for the consequences of their actions. In their guidelines they want runoff from mine sites to have lower conductivity than public drinking water? It’s irresponsible and misguided, and as a taxpayer, it’s embarrassing that this is the best idea they could come up with.”

Brown continued, “The EPA’s bureaucrats, who have been on a mission to destroy coal mining jobs, are not only implementing poor policy, but are also using bad science. This situation is frightening, and downright shameful, and hopefully our elected leaders can defend our jobs and our communities from this regulatory abuse.” The video concerning conductivity can be found at http://www.facesofcoal.org/facts/conductivity/

“Cannot Be Clearer”

June 10 – “Our investigation found that the Obama Administration is using the Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting process to dismantle the coal industry in the Appalachian region,” says U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. In an opinion piece in The State Journal, Dan Page cites the excerpt to highlight the ongoing, politically motivated obstruction of mining permits by the EPA without regard for the region and economy. The agency is holding up to 190 permits, which if not approved, could cause “one in four coal mining jobs” to disappear, threaten many small businesses and greatly reduce the much needed tax revenue generated by coal for Appalachian states. “A government report cannot be clearer. It said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, by bringing the issuing of Clean Water Act 404 permits to a virtual halt, is signing the death certificate for a significant portion of the Appalachian coal industry. Read more in The State Journal

From the National Mining Association:

EPA’s Unprecedented Permit Policy Puts Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs at Risk

Multiple Industries Protest EPA’s Authority to Revoke Existing Permits

Jun 8 (Washington, DC) - A new policy proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) poses a threat to thousands of jobs and a sustainable economic recovery, warned a dozen industries in joint comments filed June 4 with the agency.

EPA wants to reverse gears on an existing Clean Water Act discharge permit – halting work not only at the coal mine that filed the permit, but also creating an unprecedented threat for other industries from agriculture to home building. Organizations representing these and other industries protested the far-reaching implications of the agency’s unprecedented plans to “withdraw or restrict” an existing permit.

“Pulling a valid permit out from under a company destroys not only the basis of that project and the jobs its supports, but also the trust businesses must have for future investments in everything from home building and road construction to farming and ranching – all of which require Clean Water Act permits,” said Hal Quinn, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, one of the organizations responding to EPA’s proposal.

EPA announced on April 2 its plans to veto the Spruce No. 1 Surface Mine claiming authority under the federal Clean Water Act’s Section 404 provisions for regulating “waters of the United States.”

In their comments to EPA, the organizations underscored the harm to jobs and the economy from this first-ever veto of an existing permit for an on-going operation. “Businesses regularly invest millions of dollars on property, technology, personnel and machinery on the assumption that their activities can continue unabated so long as they dutifully comply with the terms of the 404 permit,” they said. The permit had been approved by multiple federal and state environmental agencies and was accompanied by a comprehensive environmental impact statement.

The organizations also questioned the legality of EPA’s proposed action, doubting Section 404 gives EPA any authority over existing permits.

Among the industries at risk from EPA’s veto of existing water quality permits would be:

Home building and real estate: About 2.1 million workers are currently employed in residential construction and another 1.2 million in the buying and selling of real estate and rely on home building that requires water quality permits.

Manufacturing: Nearly 12 million workers rely on manufacturing businesses requiring such permits and which, in turn, rely on power generation and other upstream industries that also require water act permits.

Agriculture: Tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers across the country routinely require Clean Water Act permits for activities such as building roads across their property or barns for animals.

Mining and sand and gravel operations: The 135,000 direct jobs supported by coal and metals mining and the approximately 110,000 additional men and women in the sand and gravel industry are employed by companies that routinely require Section 404 permits to operate new or expanded operations.

Road and transportation construction: Public agencies and private firms that serve America’s transportation industry sustain more than 2.2 million jobs. Many transportation projects will become impossible if EPA revokes permits after their approval.

For a copy of the June 4 comments filed with EPA, click here.

The “Unlawful Creep” of the EPA

Jun 7 – “[The] U.S. EPA’s actions to date have little to do with water quality concerns and scientific considerations, and everything to do with political machinations,” says Ohio Coal association President Michael Carey after the close of the comment period on the unprecedented revocation of the Spruce No. 1 mine permit. The comment period closed with over 1,300 comments registered on the site – thank you to all the FACES supporters that left their comments on the site and aided in the battle to stop the “unlawful creep” of the EPA. Read more in Business Week.

If you missed the Spruce No. 1 mine comment period, there is still time to act against the political agenda of the EPA – the comment period on the April 1st EPA guidance is open until June 11^th.

“Dog in the Fight Against Coal”

Jun 4 – “From medical facilities to scholarships for local doctors, the coal industry has an impressive legacy in giving back to the communities where coal mining occurs,” says Bill Bissett of the Kentucky Coal Association countering the claims of psychologist Michael Hendryx whose research tries to draw a correlation between coal mining and health issues in Appalachia. Bissett highlights the need for “scrutiny” when researches like Hendryx makes claims without acknowledging their anti-coal biases and to consider that the greatest aid to Appalachia health is jobs – jobs that come with healthcare and provide funding for community medical services. “Michael Hendryx needs to be asked direct questions about his opinion of coal mining prior to this research being conducted. To be blunt, he appears to have a proverbial dog in the fight against coal. He uses public health data to make leaps of causality that the unhealthy lifestyles in Appalachia are connected to coal mining,” says Bisset. Read more in The State Journal.

Spruce No. 1 Mine Comment Period Ending

Jun 4 – The comment period on the revocation of the Spruce No. 1 mine permit is coming to a close tonight at 11:59pm. There are only a few more hours to let the EPA know that Appalachian residents will not let the most recent attack on coal jobs and the regional economy stand. There are 1,200 comments on the Spruce No. 1 mine revocation – make sure to get your comments in. When the EPA made its announcement on March 26, 2010, the revocation of the Spruce No. 1 mining permit became the first and only time that the EPA has pulled an existing permit and it is only the 12th time since 1972 that a permit has been vetoed. Read more in The Charleston Gazette.

Add your comments on regulations.gov

Subjective Conductivity Standards and EPA Overreach

Jun 3 – A candidate for West Virginia’s 1^st Congressional District emphasizes the need to reel-in the EPA’s regulatory overreach. “We have to get regulatory bodies under control – especially as it relates to coal and water runoff from surface mines,” says David B. McKinley, the Republican candidate for the 1^st District. “There are two bottled waters for sale at (local grocery stores) that wouldn’t meet the standards the EPA is proposing.” The new standards for water quality proposed by the EPA utilize the previously unused measurement conductivity – the rate by which electricity travels through water – for determining the health of streams near mining sites. With this unfair standard, which only applies to Appalachian states, even if the streams below a mine ran with Evian or Perrier, the water quality would not meet the approved conductivity levels set by the EPA. Read more in The Wheeling Intelligencer.

EPA Permit Hold Has Potential to Devastate Coal Jobs

Jun 2 – The recent U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee report found that the hold of Appalachian coal mining permits by EPA has potentially devastating consequences for coal jobs. In an interview with MetroNews Talkline, West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney, highlighted the report and the broad impact the EPA’s actions have on all forms of mining and related jobs in West Virginia and across Appalachia. “The EPA and others want you to believe that we’re only dealing with large scale surface mines that have valley fills,” says Raney. “The truth of the matter is, we’re dealing with every kind of mining.” The EPA has been holding 79 mining permits under “enhanced review” and in an unprecedented move the EPA has begun to revoke permits for existing, fully permitted and fully staffed mines – specifically the Spruce No. 1 mine in Logan County, WV. “These companies are doing everything they can to keep all their people working,” says Raney. Read more in the West Virginia Metro News.

FACES of Coal Sponsors Soccer Tournament

Jun 1 – Young soccer fans from across West Virginia were treated to a new tournament sponsored by FACES of Coal. The First Annual Lewis County Spring Soccer Invitational brought 300 10-and-under players from Lewis, Preston, Randolph, Barbour and Upshur counties together for a lively tournament that is slated to become a yearly tradition. Go to WTRF.com to read more and watch the video.

Taken For Granted

May 28 – The anti-coal elites, activists and media fail to see the true importance of coal, accept miners as modern workers and do not offer any viable solutions to our energy needs. An opinion piece in The State Journal (WV) highlights the misconceptions surrounding miners and refutes the notion that miners are out-of-step with modern America and that, in reality, mining “depends on educated, savvy, resourceful people to pull coal from the ground with high-tech equipment.” It’s the outside elites and bureaucrats that dwell on this out-of-step notion and therefore think it is appropriate “force-fit rules” on Appalachia that threatens mining and jobs while offering no viable alternatives. “They [coal opponents] have no science to replace coal, and they have not taken the time to fully understand the contributions that coal miners are making to the strength and security of this nation. They take for granted the convenience, availability and affordability of energy that West Virginia coal miners deliver day after day,” says the opinion piece. Read more in The State Journal.

Federal Government Adds Insult to Injury in Appalachia

May 27 – The federal government adds insult in West Virginia by rejecting a plan to use stimulus funds for much needed infrastructure upgrades to the ongoing assault on Appalachian coal. “We went through all their [federal government] hoops and hurdles. Now they’ve turned their backs on us. We are trying to provide basic, everyday, 21st century infrastructure here in southern West Virginia. The sin is they don’t have it now and the bigger sin is the federal government has let this happen in this day and time,” says West Virginia State Senator Richard Browning. The pattern of the federal government treating West Virginia unfairly is firmly entrenched. Promising funds and reneging is the latest action, but the pattern is evident with the hold of 79 permits and the start of revocations for already-approved permits by the EPA – which threatens thousands of coal jobs, communities across Appalachia and the coal severance tax revenue already used for other infrastructure projects. Read more in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Number of Permits on Hold by EPA Higher Than Publicly Disclosed

May 25 – Republican lawmakers assailed the EPA for holding nearly twice as many mining permits under review than the 79 publically acknowledged and contributing to the economic uncertainty of the Appalachian region. 190 permits are currently under review by the EPA, which has been holding permits under “enhanced review” for months, says a report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. “If the EPA continues to block the permits noted above, roughly one out of every four coal-mining jobs in the Appalachian region could be lost,” says the report. Of the 190 permits on hold, most of the impact if felt by smaller mining businesses – companies with fewer than 500 employees – but still damages the larger coal economy by holding up nearly two billion tons of coal over 5 years, or nearly 41 percent of the yearly Appalachian coal production. Read more in the Wall Street Journal.

“Capricious” and “Uncaring” EPA Actions Threaten Jobs, Businesses

May 24 – An editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail pits the opposing goals of the Obama administration’s energy independence desires against its wrongheaded and “uncaring” actions against coal – which provides nearly half of our electricity domestically – by the EPA. The uncaring actions are evident in the hold of up over 79 permits and the recent move to revoke existing mining permits. “Retroactively revoking a permit when a responsible company has invested millions to cooperate with regulators is capricious in the extreme. That regulatory climate threatens investment across the entire industry,” says the editorial, which bring to the forefront a need to maintain stability, not just for our energy independence, but for the thousands of jobs and businesses that rely on coal to survive. “A report by the minority staff of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said the [mining] applications in limbo could produce 2 billion tons of coal and support 17,806 jobs and 81 small businesses,” says the editorial. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Senate Study Reports Jobs and Economic Security under Assault by EPA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

May 21 (Charleston, WV) - Today the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released a report outlining the adverse economic and employment impacts of the EPA’s inability to approve or set discernable standards for the approval of coal mining permits in Appalachia. The states that will be economically hardest hit by this virtual moratorium on permitting are West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama. The minority staff report was released by Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), who is the ranking member of the Committee.

“The EPA is making clear its intentions to destroy jobs and economic security in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia,” said Bryan Brown, state coordinator of West Virginia FACES of Coal. “The Senate report acknowledges the job destruction and economic peril EPA’s actions are having on this region. We urge our elected leaders in Washington to continue their efforts to secure coal jobs and our economic future.”

The Senate investigation report states the, “Obama Administration is using the Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting process to dismantle the coal industry in the Appalachian region.

After a thorough investigation of the 235 coal mining 404 Permits that were under review by EPA as of May 11, 2009, we found that their obstruction is having a deleterious effect on rural jobs, energy production and small businesses in Appalachia. Our investigation, which included gathering information from EPA as well as conducting detailed interviews with permit applicants, found that the 190 coal mining operations tied up at EPA are expected to produce over 2 billion tons of coal (throughout the life of operations) and support roughly 17,806 new and existing jobs as well as 81 small businesses.”

Brown continued, “In this region, coal mining jobs are some of the best paying jobs available. These jobs are critical to the survival of small businesses, and they support other industries and jobs across the state. The report also verifies that EPA’s actions will cost the state of West Virginia $217 million annually in tax revenue. That is a state budget nightmare.”

The EPA Does Not Consider Jobs or Economic Impact

May 21 – In the wake of the pro forma EPA hearing on the Spruce No. 1 mine permit, West Virginia Representative Shelley Moore Capito recalled a previous conversation with EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson that thoroughly displayed the EPA’s lack of concern regarding decisions that impact coal states. “I wanted to talk to her [EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson] face to face about the fate of West Virginia, and how this [permit hold] impacts people’s livelihood and jobs, and see how this was affecting their [EPA’s] thinking,” says Capito. The focus of Capito’s query last fall was on the ongoing hold of 79 mining permits across Appalachia – 23 in West Virginia alone – under “enhanced” review by the EPA. Recently the EPA has stepped up its actions by reviewing and revoking existing permits, bringing the EPA’s dispassionate stance regarding the people of Appalachia into full view. “She [Jackson] said the EPA is not required, and they do not consider, jobs or economic impact when evaluating permits,” says Capito. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

“Show Trial” For Mining Permits Frustrates Coal Supporters

May 20 – Frustrated coal supporters feel that the hearing on the unprecedented revocation of an existing mining permit was nothing more than a perfunctory EPA formality and unlikely to sway an agency that has repeatedly proven to be anti-coal and anti-Appalachia. “I have a hard time believing that the EPA hearing at the Charleston Civic Center was little more than a show trial to provide cover for a decision that has already been made—in this case, to block the planned mountain top removal mine in Logan County” says Hoppy Kercheval in a West Virginia Metro News commentary piece. The decision on the permit ratchets up the impression that the EPA is acting politically, pushed by professional environmental activists and without regard for the communities and thousands of jobs that depend on Appalachian coal. “The U.S. EPA has betrayed and discredited itself. In a nation of law, the federal agency — under new management — has found political comfort in changing the rules after it granted a permit that depends on multi-million-dollar investments…They have presented fickle, politically driven oversight to the people of West Virginia and Appalachia,” says Dan Page in The State Journal. Read the full commentary:

West Virginia Metro News

The State Journal.

“It’s Unfair and It’s wrong. It’s an Injustice.”

May 19 – The hearing on Spruce No. 1 permit brought out hundreds of supporters to the Charleston Civic center to oppose the EPA’s revocation of an existing permit and displayed the growing exasperation with an agency that continues to persecute Appalachian coal. “Your [EPA] director, Lisa Jackson, literally says I don’t care about the economic impact,” said Kentucky Coal Association President Bill Bisset during the hearing. “It’s unfair and it’s wrong. It’s an injustice.” The implications of the EPA starting to pull existing permits is that it will have debilitating effect on coal mining – the communities that depend on the coal revenue and severance taxes will be severely impacted and the jobs that coal provides Appalachia will be destroyed. “It’s devastating,” said West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney. “It’s absolutely devastating and when you think about the fact that they can pull anyone’s permit, tomorrow, tonight, whenever they decide to do it, without cause, without reason, then it just creates an absolutely paralyzing atmosphere of uncertainty.” Read additional articles on the hearing:

West Virginia Metro News

The State Journal

The Charleston Daily Mail

West Virginia Public Broadcasting

If you missed last night’s EPA hearing on the Spruce No. 1 mine permit, you can take action by sending a comment to the EPA opposing the permit revocation at regulations.gov.

Local Chambers Unify in Denouncing EPA Mining Guidelines; Ask Senators to Intervene

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

May 17 (Charleston, WV) – Seventeen local chambers of commerce from across West Virginia are speaking out to expresses their united concerns about new federal guidelines threatening to eliminate coal mining in Central Appalachia. Sixteen local chambers co-signed on a joint letter to U.S. Senators Robert C. Byrd and John D. Rockefeller, IV, asking the two senators to intervene with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect coal’s future in the state. The Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce sent a similar letter on its own, mirroring the views on the other chambers.

The new guidelines, which were announced by EPA on April 1, will impose unscientific and unattainable water quality standards that only apply to coal mining and only in the six Appalachian coal producing states of Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia, and West Virginia.

All three of West Virginia’s members in the U.S. House of Representatives have weighed in with the EPA on this issue. Third district Congressmen Nick J. Rahall and first district Congressman Alan B. Mollohan both signed a letter with Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher, asking the EPA to reconsider these new standards. On a separate letter, second district Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito joined 22 other U.S. House members asking EPA to withdraw the regulations.

The local chambers—representing thousands of businesses across the state and tens of thousands of jobs—are concerned about the “grave, long-term effects” that the new regulations will have not only on coal mining and coal jobs, but also on other businesses and industries throughout the state.

“Seventeen different local business communities from all corners of our state have come together to speak in one unified voice,” said Bryan Brown, a spokesperson for The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal). “What they said was that EPA should suspend these guidelines immediately and work with our elected leaders in a transparent manner to enact realistic standards that won’t threaten 80,000 jobs in Appalachia,” said Brown.

The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal) is an alliance of more than 60,000 people from all walks of life who are joining forces to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining to our local and national economies and to our nation’s energy security. In addition to keeping tens of thousands of people employed in good-paying jobs, coal is the lifeblood of our domestic energy supply, generating half the electricity consumed in the United States today.

The text of the joint letter with a list of local chamber signatories, and the letter from the Charleston Regional Chamber is included below.

# # #

Joint Letter to U.S. Senators Byrd and Rockefeller from
Sixteen Local Chambers of Commerce

May 17, 2010

The Honorable Robert C. Byrd
The Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators Byrd and Rockefeller:

Our communities throughout West Virginia remain saddened by the tragic events that recently occurred at the Upper Big Branch Mine, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones. Nothing is as important as ensuring our coal miners work under safe conditions, as just one life lost in a mine is one too many.

With this being said, our state and our local communities continue to depend on a safe and robust coal industry to provide for our families. And while it will take some time for federal investigators to fully
examine the events from that tragic day in Raleigh County to see what could have been done differently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to move forward on regulatory actions and on dubious water quality standards that could have grave, long-term effects on the state’s most important industry — coal mining.

Essentially, the EPA has set standards for water quality from coal mining sites that are discriminatory and unattainable, virtually eliminating coal mining of any kind in West Virginia. These new rules stretch far beyond surface mining, as most underground mines cannot meet these standards either.

The new EPA standards are so strict that other job-creating industries would not meet the new water standard, including highway construction, housing developments, industrial parks, sewage treatment facilities, electrical generating plants. But in a discriminatory manner, coal mining is the only industry subjected to these new regulations, and it only applies to six Central Appalachian states.

In these uncertain economic times, we cannot afford to have the federal government take actions that will have such a significant detrimental impact on jobs in our region and on the vitality of our communities. With domestic coal providing 50% of our nation’s electricity, we certainly cannot afford importing coal from China and South America at the expense of West Virginia’s hard-working men and women.

It is for these critical reasons that our united business organizations are urging you to intervene with President Obama and the EPA to protect our future. We intend to make an official comment to EPA and ask that you do the same.

Sincerely,

Barbour County Chamber of Commerce
Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce
Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce
Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce
Harrison County Chamber of Commerce
Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce
Greenbrier County Chamber of Commerce
Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce
Logan County Chamber of Commerce
Marion County Chamber of Commerce
Marshall County Chamber of Commerce
Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce
Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce
Summersville Area Chamber of Commerce
Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce
Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce

—

Letter to U.S. Senators Byrd and Rockefeller from the
Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce

May 17, 2010

The Honorable Robert C. Byrd
311 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Byrd,

The Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce joins with millions throughout West Virginia and the nation in voicing its sympathy to the miners and their families affected by the tragedy in Raleigh County. Our region, state and nation grew strong and prospered due to sacrifices made by so many who face danger on a daily basis to bring us the energy that powers America. We owe nothing less to these courageous and hardworking fellow Americans to take the actions necessary to ensure that our coal miners work under safe conditions.

As President Obama said at the moving memorial service in honor of the 29 who lost their lives April 5, “How can a nation that relies on its miners not do everything in its power to protect them?”

As the President acknowledged, America depends on coal and coal miners. Domestic coal supplies 50 percent of our nation’s electricity, and ensuring a safe and strong coal industry is essential to the future of our nation and state.

The future of coal, however, is doubt as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to move forward on regulatory actions and water quality standards that would virtually eliminate coal mining of any kind in West Virginia. These new rules stretch far beyond surface mining, as most underground mines would also be unable to meet these standards.

In effect, these regulations would economically segregate West Virginia and her neighbors from the rest of America. The new standards apply only to coal mining in six Central Appalachian states, a region already facing economic hardships. There is also serious concern that vital projects, such as construction of highways, housing developments, industrial parks, sewage treatment facilities and electrical generating plants, could be impossible to undertake in West Virginia if these new standards are applied to other economic development activities that require a federal water permit.

The Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce is alarmed about the detrimental impact these discriminatory new regulations will have our nation’s coal supply, jobs in our region and on the vitality of our communities. We are also concerned that decision makers do not fully appreciate what their application will mean to West Virginia and the future of coal. We urge you to continue to educate our leaders, including President Obama and the EPA, about the ramifications of these new policies on our nation’s energy independence and on West Virginia.

Sincerely,

Matthew G. Ballard
President/CEO
Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce

Republicans and Democrats Jointly Oppose New EPA Mining Guidelines

May 13 – 23 lawmakers from both parties joined together to oppose the EPA’s regulatory overreach that unfairly targets Appalachian coal mining. “In noting the far-reaching effects of this guidance on the people who live and work in central Appalachia, we ask that you withdraw the April 1, 2010, guidance…” says the letter to EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “[The EPA's decision on guidelines] has jeopardized the future of mining operations, the sustenance of local communities, and ultimately, access to a reliable domestic source of energy within Central Appalachia and the entire country.” Read more in the State Journal.

Congressmen to EPA: New Guidance for Permits is “Wrong Approach”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

May 7 (Charleston, WV) – U.S. Representatives Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) and Rick Boucher (D-VA) have called upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw the Guidance it issued on April 1 regarding coal mining permits in Appalachia. The lawmakers expressed their concern with EPA’s use of a conductivity standard and the inequitable treatment of Appalachian coal mining in the Guidance in a May 5 letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

“We applaud the members of Congress for publicly identifying the same faults with the EPA’s new Guidance on water quality standards that most residents of the affected states see,” said Bryan Brown, West Virginia state coordinator for the FACES of Coal campaign. “There are serious scientific doubts about using conductivity as a water quality standard but beyond that, only enforcing those standards in 6 states of a 50 state country is prejudicial, economically devastating and just plain wrong.”

The April 1^st Guidance announcement came days after the EPA began the veto process for an already approved permit for the Spruce No.1 mine in Logan County, WV. The EPA has only used this veto authority 12 times in 38 years, and has never used its authority to veto an existing permit. A public hearing on the potential veto will take place in Charleston, WV on May 18^th.

“I think the EPA will get a good understanding of how concerned West Virginians are about jobs leaving this state because of unfair permitting practices and, worse, the reopening and potentially vetoing of approved permits,” continued Brown. “We want and deserve what we have asked for—a fair and clear processes for permitting. EPA’s April 1st Guidance is nothing more than a means to end coal mining in this region.”

Read the letter from Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) to the EPA.

Lawmakers Protest New EPA Guidelines

May 7 – West Virginia Representatives Alan Mollohan (D) and Rep. Nick Rahall (D) joined with Virginia Representative Rick Boucher (D) in writing a letter to EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson strongly protesting the new EPA mining guidelines. The standards outlined by the EPA guidelines arbitrarily single out six Appalachian states with a previously unused measurement – conductivity – and fail to consider the economic hardship these new regulations will create. “Aiming this guidance only at surface coal mining in Appalachia increases the disadvantage already suffered by the industry in this region when compared to Western mining operations,” wrote the lawmakers. “In fact, it speaks volumes that the guidance specifically notes ‘environmental justice’ as one of the principles driving these policies but sorely fails to address the equally noble goal of economic fairness.” Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

West Virginia and Ohio Officials Join In Support of Coal

May 6 – West Virginia and Ohio officials join together in support of coal and to protest the EPA’s hold on mining permits. “We expect them [EPA] to regulate, but we do not expect them to persecute,” says Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton, who combinded forces with Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce President Terry Sterling, Marshall County Chamber of Commerce President Dave Knuth, Wheeling Mayor Andy McKenzie and Chris Hamilton of the West Virginia Coal Association to highlight the massive impact the EPA’s actions and “bias” against coal have on the region. “Coal is not merely vital for national energy, security, or as a major engine of economic stimulus. It also provides tax revenue for business taxes, coal severance taxes and local taxes,” says Sterling. Read more in the Wheeling News Intelligencer.

Spruce No. 1 Mine Hearing Schedule Puts Coal Supporters at a Disadvantage

May 3 – “EPA has joined with coal’s opponents in Congress and scheduled two hearings on the same day (May 18) for bills and actions that will do away with mining in West Virginia and take our people’s jobs,” says West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney on the upcoming hearings regarding the EPA’s arbitrary revocation of the fully-approved and operational Spruce No. 1 Mine – an action that could have a massive impact on the future of mining throughout Appalachia and destroy 80,000 jobs. “We’re convinced the opponents to West Virginia coal teamed up to make it very difficult for our people to be represented at both places, one in Washington and the other in Charleston,” says Raney. Read more in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Time for the EPA to Listen to You

Apr 29 – Let the EPA hear the voices of the West Virginian and Appalachian residents that rely on coal for their livelihoods by speaking out at the upcoming public hearing for the Spruce No. 1 Mine. The hearing is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18^th at the Charleston Civic Center. We need FACES members to attend the hearing and oppose the EPA’s revocation of the Spruce No. 1 Mine permit – an action which could have dire consequences for Appalachian mining if it is allowed to become a precedent. The revocation is the first and only time that the EPA has pulled an existing permit, only the 12^th time since 1972 that a permit has been vetoed and the EPA fully acknowledges that they have never used this outrageous revocation authority in the 38 years since the Clean Water Act was enacted. Do not let the EPA take away thousands of coal jobs and destroy Appalachian communities: Speak out for coal. Read more in the West Virginia Metro News.

Advanced registration is not required for the public hearing, but if you want to ensure a spot in the Charleston Civic Center or an opportunity to speak out for coal, please sign up now or call 877-368-3552.

Note: The online comment period for the Spruce No. 1 Mine is open and we urge all FACES members to take action - add your comments.

Appalachian Mining Unfairly Targeting by EPA

Apr 27 – “It seems the Herald-Leader and EPA lay all of the ills of water quality in Kentucky squarely on coal mining with no regard to straight pipe sewage, agricultural waste runoff, or chemical runoff from fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and other lawn treatments that keep our Bluegrass green,” says FACES of Coal director Phil Osborne in a Lexington Herald-Leader op-ed. The EPA continues to turn a blind eye to other Appalachian water quality issues, while allowing operations that are quite similar to mining – highway construction, real estate development – to continue unhampered. The new water quality guidelines presented by the EPA arbitrarily single out coal mining and will potentially destroy jobs in six Appalachian states. “The EPA seems intent on punishing the 17,000 coal miners in Kentucky and nearly 70,000 miners in the five other states,” says Osborne. Read more in the Lexington Herald-Leader. Read more in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

President’s Visit a Comfort to Families and Offers Hope for the Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Apr 26 (Charleston, WV) – The following statement was released today by FACES after the State Memorial of Hope and Healing, which was held Sunday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center to commemorate the 29 miners who lost their lives at the Upper Big Branch mine explosion on April 5.

“FACES joins all those who participated in yesterday’s service in honoring the lives and contributions of the miners who were lost at the Upper Big Branch mine. We join also in honoring the service and sacrifice of the rescue workers.”

West Virginians are grateful to Governor Manchin, members of the West Virginia congressional delegation and to the President and Vice President for their supportive words and participation in the memorial service. The safety of the coal miner is always on the minds of the residents of this state and anyone associated with coal mining. The truth is mine safety is an everyday concern for most of us, and a tragedy like this reminds everyone what the character and bravery of a coal miner really is. We were also reminded of the tremendous contributions of America’s coal miners to our national and economic security and to our way of life.

West Virginia’s “Mountaineer Spirit”

Apr 21 – In West Virginia the spirit of community and state unity has shined through in the days since the Upper Big Branch mining tragedy. “…even in all this sadness and sorrow, I was struck by something that I truly feel is unique to this great state,” says Bray Cary in a State Journal commentary piece. “Even in the face of unspeakable tragedy, we were still willing to put others ahead of ourselves. If that doesn’t speak to what makes this state our state so very special, I certainly don’t know what could,” says Cray. Read more in The State Journal.

Changing the Image of the American Miner

Apr 13 – “The truth is, without the American coal miner and his willingness to work in his profession, we’d all be sunk,” says West Virginia native Homer Hickman on the importance of coal for our nation and the need to update the image of the American miner. Read more in the West Virginia Gazette.

“These Are the People that Helped Build America”

Apr 9 – “If you threw on a light switch today or turned on a  hairdryer today, powered up your computer when you got to work, odds  are the electricity for any of those devices and so many more in our  lives came from coal – more than half of the electricity in the  United States come from coal,” says CNN’s John King commenting on the  extraordinary efforts of miners and their direct connection to all  Americans in this time of sorrow. The nation’s lights are kept  running and our economy stays strong because of the hard working  miners that “helped build America” and now face an uncertain future.  Watch the video at cnn.com

West Virginians, Americans Come Together to Support Upper Big Branch Families

Apr 9 – “The outpouring of support from fellow West Virginians, as well as citizens across the country, has been truly gratifying,” says West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin praising the aid efforts for the families of the miners lost in the Upper Big Branch mine accident. “The mining families continue to endure in this very tough time and will need as much support in the future as possible.” Donations can be made to the Montcoal West Virginia Coal Mine Disaster Victims Fund and West Virginia Council of Churches fund. Read more in the Beckley Register-Herald.

Montcoal West Virginia Coal Mine Disaster Victims Fund
First Community Bank,
1220 Ritter Drive
Daniels, WV 25832

Contact: tjsween-ey@fcbinc.com / hrburroughs@fcbinc.com.

West Virginia Council of Churches
2207 Washington St. East
Charleston, W.Va. 25311

Or donate online at http://www.wvcc.org/

“West Virginians Come Together Like a Family”

Apr 7 – “This apparently was a massive explosion and we will be gathering more facts in the days and weeks to come. Obviously, this is an incredibly difficult situation for all these miners and their families, but they are strong and represent the best of West Virginia. In times such as this, West Virginians come together like a family, and I’m am so encouraged by their bravery as we await more information,” says Gov. Joe Manchin on the Performace Coal accident.

Statement from Gov. Joe Manchin.

On behalf of the 60,000 members of the Federation for American Coal, Energy & Security, we extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those that have lost their lives at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in southern West Virginia. Our prayers go out to the miners still unaccounted for and the rescue teams working to find them.

FACES and National Mining Association Offer Thoughts and Prayers

Apr 5 – The FACES of Coal campaign joins the National Mining Association in offering our thoughts and prayers for the miners lost and their families at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia.

Read more from the National Mining Association.

FACES of Coal Offers Prayers and Support for the Victims and their Families of the Upper Branch Mine Tragedy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Apr 5 (Charleston, WV) – The 60,000 thousand members of the FACES of Coal campaign speak with one voice today as we offer our prayers and support for all the victims and their families of the mining explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia.

“Heedlessness Rather than Reasonableness”

Apr 5 – “Under the Obama administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seems intent on communicating heedlessness rather than reasonableness,” says an editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail. The EPA’s recent announcement of unattainable mining standards leaves hard-working southern West Virginia coal communities wondering what the next rule change will be – and if there is any place for their communities in the EPA’s game. “If the state is run primarily for salamanders, aside from Social Security and welfare recipients, there will not be many southern coalfield communities,” says the editorial. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

A “Dangerous and Threatening” Action

Apr 2 – Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new water quality standards for coal mining permits across Appalachia in a move that threatens thousands of jobs and the economic future of the Appalachian region. The EPA policy guidelines announcement is as dangerous and threatening an action as this region has ever seen from the federal government. Essentially, the EPA has set standards for water quality from mining sites that are unattainable —virtually eliminating coal mining of any kind in our region. The impacts of this new policy were made clear by Administrator Jackson when she said, “You’re talking about no, or very few, valley fills that are going to meet this standard.” Read more in The Washington Post.

EPA Intent on Destroying Appalachian Economy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Apr 1 (Charleston, WV) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today set a totally new water quality standard for coal mining permits across Appalachia in a move that threatens thousands of jobs and the economic future of mining communities. The announcement comes days after the EPA began the veto process for an already approved permit for the Spruce No.1 mine in Logan County, WV. The EPA has only used this veto authority 12 times since 1972, and has never used its authority to veto an existing permit.

“Today’s EPA policy and guidelines announcement is as dangerous and threatening an action as this region has ever seen. Imposing sweeping restrictions without any opportunity for comment or review prior to implementation is an alarming example of bureaucratic discrimination and abuse,” said Bryan Brown, state coordinator for the FACES of Coal campaign. “The EPA offers no transparency as to how these new guidelines were developed, gives no consideration to the tens of thousands of mining families this will hurt and bases conclusions on science that has been shown to be flawed and misleading. I guess the President’s jobs initiative only applies to families and workers living outside of Appalachia.”

The FACES of Coal is an organization that will be imploring its 60,000 members to make sure their representatives and leaders throughout the country don’t let this misguided and dangerous action stand.

EPA: Playing “Regulatory Games”

Apr 1 – “It is beyond understanding how the EPA, especially in these tough economic times, can play regulatory games and revoke a permit that has been issued for three years and where men and women are working and coal production has already started,” says West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney, quoted in a Beckley Register-Herald editorial. The regulatory games played with the Spruce No. 1 mine through the revocation of the “the most scrutinized permit in West Virginia’s history” is a clear indication of an administration and EPA that will not recognize the importance of coal. Everything from small-town economies in Appalachia, to our nation’s energy base-load energy needs and energy security are built upon on the continued use of coal – something Mr. Obama fails to understand. Read more in the Beckley Register-Herald.

EPA Leaves Appalachian Mining in Dire Situation

Mar 31 – The EPA’s unwillingness to work out clear or consistent mining permit guidelines or honor existing permits leaves Appalachian mining in a dire spot. “The coal industry is wondering what it’s supposed to do. One coal executive I talked with who had read EPA’s [Spruce mine] decision said the agency concludes everything about surface mining is bad, which means no mitigation plan is going to be good enough,” says Talkline host Hoppy Kercheval in a West Virginia Metro News commentary piece. Ultimately, with an EPA that will not cooperate with mining companies, good coal jobs, coal severance tax funds and domestically-sourced, affordable energy will all be lost – and the EPA doesn’t provide a mitigation plan for those losses. “…with this EPA it appears that the dialog is one way: It talks, you listen,” says Kercheval. Read more in the West Virginia Metro News.

“Unacceptable Adverse Impacts” on West Virginia Coal Economy

Mar 30 – “The uncertainty surrounding investment and employment in the West Virginia coalfields just got markedly worse,” says an editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail as the aftermath of the Spruce mine permit revocation comes into focus. The EPA pulled the permit – which was granted in 2007 – without considering the lost jobs, the impact on the wider coal economy or the years of work involved in developing a mine that complied with the existing EPA standards. “Permitting processes that last 13 years have ‘unacceptable adverse impacts’ on local American eco-nomies. People can’t live in mountains where they can’t predict how they will be able to make a living,” says the editorial. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Mining Permit Revocation Creates New Questions

Mar 29 – The unprecedented revocation of the Spruce mine permit has left West Virginians – miners and lawmakers alike – wondering what the activist EPA will do next. “What’s to stop the EPA from going after more permits that have already been issued and are fully operational?” asks Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). If the EPA moves to revoke additional, existing mining permits, 63,000 jobs and $25.5 billion vital to the state’s economy would be lost. “This action disregards the expertise of both the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and puts all of West Virginia miners at risk of losing their jobs,” says Capito. Read more in the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

EPA Assault on West Virginia Jobs and Economy Continues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Bryan Brown, 304-546-5500

Mar 26 (Charleston, WV) – In yet another attack on the economy of West Virginia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its proposal under the Clean Water Act to veto the permit for the Spruce No.1 mine in Logan County, WV. The Spruce No.1 mine project would provide miners and support industries with hundreds of jobs that the region desperately needs. The project was originally approved and permitted by both the West Virginia DEP and the Army Corps of Engineers and reviewed by EPA in 2007, but has been delayed by litigation. To underscore the dramatic nature of today’s action, consider that the EPA has only used this veto authority 12 times since 1972, and has never used its authority to veto an existing permit.

“Today’s veto action by the EPA is an example of bureaucratic tyranny, pure and simple. The Spruce Mine permit was reviewed and approved by West Virginia DEP, the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA. Yet new bureaucrats at the agency have inserted themselves again to take jobs and economic stability away from the citizens of West Virginia,” said Bryan Brown, state coordinator of the FACES of Coal campaign. “Its clear the EPA has little regard for developing a coherent and transparent process for allowing coal to be mined in our state. We need our elected leaders in Washington, D.C. and at home to continue to stand up and fight for our jobs, our communities and our way of life.”

The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal) is an alliance of more than 50,000 people from all walks of life who are joining forces to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining to our local and national economies and to our nation’s energy security. In addition to keeping tens of thousands of people employed in good-paying jobs, coal is the lifeblood of our domestic energy supply, generating nearly half the electricity consumed in the United States today.

From the Office of Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV):

RAHALL BLASTS EPA ON SPRUCE MINE VETO

Mar 26 (Washington, DC) – Following is U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall’s (D-W.Va.) response to today’s decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to overrule the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of a Clean Water Act permit for the Spruce Mine in Logan County.

“This is an unprecedented, unjustified and undeserved decision and I completely disagree with it as I told EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson directly. The owners of the Spruce Mine worked in good faith over the course of many years with State and Federal permitting agencies, including the EPA, and the permit was issued after the conclusion of a full environmental impact statement. To come back now and pull the rug out from under this mining operation is unconscionable.”

Read the release from Rep. Nick Rahall.

From the Office of Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV):

ROCKEFELLER CONDEMNS EPA VETO ON SPRUCE MINE PERMIT

Mar 26 (Washington, DC) — Senator Jay Rockefeller issued the following statement after the EPA today revoked the permit for Spruce Number 1 Mine in Logan County:

“I have said this before, and will say it again: it is wrong and unfair for the EPA to change the rules for a permit that is already active.

“The Spruce Number 1 Mine has made good faith efforts to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and I believe the EPA should honor their commitment in return. I will continue to push EPA officials until we can find a workable, long-term solution.”

Background:

The Spruce Number 1 Mine permit was reviewed by the Corps of Engineers for nearly ten years before being approved in January 2007, and has been active for over two years.
To satisfy initial EPA concerns, the final permit reduced the acreage of the permit by 835 acres or 27 percent and excess spoil by 150 million cubic yards, a 57 percent decrease.
EPA Region III sent a letter on September 3, 2009 to the Army Corps of Engineers, asking the Corps to reevaluate the Spruce 1 Mine permit.
On September 10, Senator Rockefeller wrote a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson expressing his concern about the EPA’s request to suspend or revoke the already approved surface mining permit for the Spruce Number 1 Mine.
On September 30, 2009 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter to the EPA stating that they did not agree with the concerns laid out by the EPA’s September 3^rd letter and would not alter the permit.
On March 26, 2010 the EPA moved forward with their notice of proposed determination. This will trigger a public comment period for the next 60 days, after which the Regional Administrator will prepare a recommended determination or may choose to withdraw the proposed determination.
The EPA has only used this veto authority 12 times since 1972 and only once since 1990.

Read the release from Senator Jay Rockefeller.

From the Office of Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV):

Capito Disappointed in Spruce Mine No. 1 Permit Veto

EPA Decision Puts WV Jobs in Peril

Mar 26 (Washington, DC) — Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., today released the following statement after receiving notice of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to formally begin the veto process for the surface permit granted by the Army Corps of Engineers to the Spruce No. 1 mine in Logan County:

“Today’s announcement by the EPA to begin the veto process for the Spruce Mine permit confirms what many have long suspected: the Agency has no regard for the economic hardship created by their policies, or for the judgment and authority of the state and federal agencies involved.

“I am extremely disheartened by the Administration’s unprecedented decision to revoke this highly reviewed permit. For nearly a decade, the Army Corps of Engineers—with the EPA’s input—rigorously reviewed the environmental impact of expanding the Spruce Mine before lawfully issuing the permit. What’s to stop the EPA from going after more permits that have already been issued and are fully operational? This action disregards the expertise of both the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Corps, and puts all of West Virginia miners at risk of losing their jobs.

“These are not abstract consequences in some far away land; these are our friends and neighbors who are losing their jobs for no other reason than because a faceless bureaucracy says so. The EPA should let our people work.

“As the veto process advances, it is my hope that the EPA reevaluates their position on the Spruce Mine and honors their original permit commitment. It is imperative that West Virginia mining families have security in this difficult economic time.”

Read the release from Rep. Shelley Moore Capito.

From the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY):

A Threat to Coal-Mining Businesses in Kentucky

Mar 25 (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement Thursday regarding a threat by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to the coal-mining business in Kentucky. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) has issued a report highlighting the impact on coal mining jobs in Kentucky because of the EPA’s intrusion into the coal mining approval process.

“The EPA has turned the Section 404 permitting process, already a cumbersome process to begin with, into an illegitimate, back-door means of shutting down Kentucky coal mines. This is outside the scope of their authority and the law. It represents a fundamental departure from the permitting process as originally envisioned by Congress,” McConnell said.

“This Senate needs to make it clear to the EPA that they must complete the permit review process in a timely manner, and provide complete transparency along the way to all sides. They cannot continue to impose a back-door ban on mining operations in Kentucky through an illegitimate process,” McConnell added.

The EPW estimates that roughly 3,500 mining jobs could be in jeopardy if the EPA doesn’t revise its permit approval process. For every coal-mining job, 11 other jobs are dependent on it. That means up to 38,500 jobs in Kentucky alone could be affected.

“Coal is a vital part of my State’s economy, and a vital part of America’s energy portfolio,” McConnell said. “The EPA’s attack on this important Kentucky industry hampers the growth of jobs, and it especially hampers the growth of small business – the greatest engines of job creation.”

Read Sen. McConnell’s full statement.

Approved Mine Threatened by Additional EPA Action

Mar 25 – “How can American companies conduct business when the government inconsistently interprets and enforces regulations that are critical to a company’s operations?” asks Dan Page in a State Journal opinion piece after federal regulators move to stop operations at the Spruce mine. Arch Coal’s Spruce mine is the only site to receive approval since the EPA’s clamp-down on hundreds of Appalachian mining permits in September 2009. The site is now threatened with additional government action, which leaves businesses, communities and jobs across Logan County hanging in the balance. “Now EPA effectively is threatening to force the Corps to pull the Spruce permit, thus eliminating Arch’s opportunity to employ 250 miners at Spruce, produce affordable energy and contribute to the state’s tax base,” says Page. Read more in The State Journal.

American Coal Concert Creates “Postive Energy” for Mining

Mar 24 – Hundreds of coal supporters and music fans were treated to a riveting night at the American Coal Concert in Bluefield, WV. Coal-supporter Stella Parton performed a host of crowd-pleasing songs that touched upon the lives of miners and Appalachia. The frequently requested “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was played to the delight of the audience. Bill Reid, organizer of the American Coal Concert, plans on putting on additional concerts in the future to create more “positive energy” for coal mining. “Coal is no longer dark, dangerous and dirty,” says Reid. “The modern coal industry is safe, secure and sensible.” Read more in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Coal is a Job “Multiplier”

Mar 23 – “Coal mining and production support directly or indirectly 84,000 jobs in Kentucky that sustain a $10 billion economy,” says Phil Osborne, FACES of Coal Kentucky Executive Director, in a Lexington Herald-Leader op-ed describing the many contributions of coal to the state. Coal is a job “multiplier” that creates jobs across Kentucky by providing the low energy costs that draw businesses and large-scale manufacturers to the state. With affordable energy, every county – coal-producing or not – enjoys the benefits of a strong economy. However, the ongoing “enhanced review” of 49 mining permits by the EPA threatens the future of affordable electricity, jobs and mining in the state. “…producing more coal is becoming exponentially more difficult because of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its open war on mining in Central Appalachia,” says Osborne. Read more in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Lawmakers Join Together in Support of Kentucky Coal at FACES Rally

Mar 19 – Democrats and Republicans joined together in strong support of Kentucky coal at the FACES of Coal rally in Louisville yesterday. 57 lawmakers signed a letter urging the immediate release of 49 eastern Kentucky mining permits that have been arbitrarily blocked by the EPA for months. Sign-carrying supporters listened to an array of speakers, business representatives and candidates that outlined importance of coal to residents across the state. To right the EPA’s “harmful decision” on mining permit restrictions, a new petition directed to the EPA, the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, Congress and state officials was circulated to all of the attendees encouraging swift action. Read more in the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Coal Vital to All Residents of Kentucky

Mar 18 – FACES of Coal held a press conference in metro Louisville to highlight the importance of coal to all of state of Kentucky residents, not just eastern and western Kentucky where coal is mined. Due to the state’s coal reserves, Kentucky has the 4th lowest electricity costs, which is a major draw for manufacturers and large-scale industry. Attracting business boosts job creation, growth and benefits the entire state economy. “When it comes to a board room decision or a small business decision it’s low energy costs in our state [that draw interest],” said Hollis Smith, American Small Business Partnership Chairman. Read more at wfpl.org.

MEDIA ADVISORY: FACES of Coal Press Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Danielle Rudy, 502-292-4038

Mar 17 (Louisville, KY) – Kentucky Spokesman for the Federation for American Coal, Energy, and Security (FACES of Coal) Phil Osborne will lead a press conference featuring Louisville City Councilman Stuart Benson, Hollis Smith, Chairman of the American Small Business Partnership, Mark Porta, Vice President of Whayne Supply and Bill Bissett, President of the Kentucky Coal Association who will speak on the impact of Kentucky coal on the Metro Louisville area.

When: Thursday, March 18th – 10:00 a.m.

Where: Jefferson Square Park – 6^th and Jefferson St., Louisville, KY

Coal Vital to Export Goals

Mar 15 – A Charleston Daily Mail editorial on coal’s contribution to West Virginia emphasizes the need to approve mining permits in order to achieve the nation’s export goals. The Obama administration is attempting to stimulate the economy by boosting exports, while coal – one of the most vital export markets – is sidelined by the EPA’s arbitrary permit review. West Virginia maintains the largest export market of coal and even in the midst of a down economy more than $2 billion was generated by coal in 2009. “Doubling that [US exports] would require the Obama administration to speed up the mining permit process,” says the editorial, encouraging the administration to alter the review process in order to protect the future of coal exports and nation-wide economic growth. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Lawmakers Join Effort Against EPA’s War on Coal

Mar 12 – The EPA’s war on coal has become so apparent that lawmakers outside of the Appalachian states have joined in opposition. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is seeking to remove the EPA’s regulatory authority, while the office of Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-OK) has prepared a report outlining the impact of the EPA’s hold on mining permits. The Inhofe report highlights the 5,600 jobs threatened by the permitting delays in West Virginia and the long-term economic effects if the EPA is not reigned in. “The staff found the EPA is threatening 2.2 billion tons of coal production during the life of the proposed mines and posing financial threats to 81 small Appalachian businesses that serve the industry,” says Dan Page in The State Journal. Read more in The State Journal.

Blankenship Counters Anti-Coal Activists

Mar 11 – “If successful, the political crusade against coal will devastate Appalachia’s economy,” says Massey Energy chief Don Blankenship, in an op-ed in The Hill. “The first casualties will be thousands upon thousands of good-paying jobs with good benefits.” Blankenship counters the most recent attack from professional environment activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. by laying out the hard numbers on the vital importance of coal to jobs in Appalachia and the wider national economy. Coal is responsible for “75 percent of railroad shipments and 25 percent of barge and lake carrier traffic in the United States,” says Blankenship citing a West Virginia Coal Association report. “In West Virginia, the coal industry supports 63,000 jobs and produces $25.5 billion for the state’s economy.” Read more in The Hill.

“Bone Fide Heroes”

Mar 10 – “To Hollywood, coal mining probably is the least glamorous job that they would only ‘pretend’ to do. But in our territory, coal miners are bona fide heroes,” says Amy Townsell in The Messenger from Madisonville, KY. Townsell sings the praises of “proud and loyal” coal miners and urges everyone to give them a hearty thank you for the work they do. Along with the glowing appraisal of the people and communities joined by coal mining, she raises concerns about the future of mining with the Obama administration. Through the EPA, the Obama administration has demonstrated a desire to end mining in Appalachia with holds on dozens of mining permits and threats of increased regulation. “Who knows the future of the coal industry, under Obama’s administration? Faced with the challenge of finding ways to produce “clean coal,” life as we know in the Coalfield region could forever change,” says Townsell. Read more in The Messenger.

Arch Coal Foundation Presents Award to Exceptional Teachers

Mar 9 – Arch Coal gives back to the community with awards for exceptional teachers in West Virginia. The Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards will be presented today in Charleston to a group of outstanding teachers. The $3,500 award is provided by the Arch Coal Foundation and is complimented by a $1,000 grant to the teacher’s schools from the West Virginia Education Association. The grant from will help aid the school’s work with at-risk students. Awards like this are just a one of the many ways that coal impacts communities in West Virginia in addition to providing well-paying jobs and affordable energy. Read more in The State Journal.

Mollohan Urged to Make EPA Authority Suspension Longer

Mar 8 – “EPA must be stopped from moving further down this very dangerous road – one that would throw West Virginians out of work and increase energy prices for all Americans,” said Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) after announcing legislation that would suspend the regulatory authority of the EPA for two years. The suspension is designed to allow lawmakers time to develop policies that consider the broader scope of the nation’s environmental and economic needs. An editorial in the Wheeling Intelligencer urges Rep. Mollohan to work towards a sustained hold on EPA authority to ensure that West Virginia’s coal jobs and communities are protected. “If he truly has the best interests of West Virginia at heart, Mollohan will insist on amending the bill to make the [EPA authority] suspension a more long-lasting one,” says the editorial. Read more in the Wheeling Intelligencer.

EPA’s Actions: “Unsettling to Say the Least”

Mar 5 – “When one environmental agency looks at what another is doing – and sounds an alarm – it should serve as notice that something is really amiss,” says an editorial in the Beckley Register-Herald. The alarm on the EPA’s actions was sounded at a West Virginia Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee meeting, where Sen. Mike Green (D-Raleigh) found the EPA’s lack of coordination at the state level and attempts to sidestep mining permit regulations to be “unsettling to say the least.” The EPA’s refusal to coordinate with state regulators on standards or mining permit guidelines is viewed as an attempt to stop mining and destroy jobs in the West Virginia. “…it’s no secret that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is systemically trying to shut down West Virginia as we know it by targeting the mining industry,” says the editorial. Read more in the Beckley Register-Herald.

West Virginia Environmental Secretary Frustrated with EPA

Mar 4 – “The kind of standards that EPA is talking about will significantly limit mineral extraction in the state,” says Randy Huffman, West Virginia’s Environmental Protection Secretary, “it could eliminate it in many areas.” Frustrated with the EPA, Huffman met with the state Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee to express his concerns. He cited the EPA’s lack of coordination with the state on water quality standards and failing to be consistent on mining permit guidelines as prime examples. “We felt like that [Hobet 45 mine] was a model in which future permits could be structured,” says Huffman on the only permit to be granted since the EPA started the “enhanced review” process. But EPA regulators, to Huffman’s consternation, noted that the Hobet 45 permit negotiations should not be seen as an example for the 23 remaining permits. Listen to the interview from West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Pennsylvania Mine Focuses on Environmental Stewardship

Mar 2 – “Coal mining gets a really bad rap in Pennsylvania,” says John Blaschak, CEO of the Fisher Mining Co., “[after mining] we don’t leave a hole in the ground and we don’t leave bad water behind us.” To demonstrate the company’s environmental stewardship, Blaschak led Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Howard) on a tour of post-mining wetlands, grasslands and the remediated tributaries of the Little Pine Creek. Blaschak also noted the importance of running an environmentally clean company in order for the business to survive. “We are returning some of our land for game,” says Blaschak, adding to the small animals, bird and fowl that have already spread into the reclaimed areas. Read more in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

Obama Doesn’t Understand the Threat to Coal Jobs in West Virginia

Mar 1 – At the recent meeting between President Obama and coal-state lawmakers, “…the president revealed an almost airy lack of concern about the effect his policies can have on coal jobs in there here and now,” says an editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail. President’s Obama’s attitude toward the future of jobs in West Virginia is revealed in the exchange with Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who asked whether or not the President would reassess job-killing EPA and tax policies if it meant protecting jobs in West Virginia. After Rep. Capito’s questions “[Obama] re-committed to the [original] policies, and showed no sign of understanding the threat they pose to jobs.” Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Appalachian Coal Country Inspires Music and Concert

Feb 26 – “I’m very proud of these mountains,” says singer/songwriter Stella Parton, who is adding her voice to the many supporting Appalachian coal. “I’ve always been fascinated with the coal industry…It’s part of my (heritage).” Appalachian coal country inspired Parton’s new CD, “American Coal,” and she teamed up with Coal News editor/publisher Bill Reid for the upcoming American Coal Concert at the Bluefield Performing Arts Center. “The coal industry is under attack from all directions,” says Reid, who added that the concert should create “positive exposure” for coal mining. Read more in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Mollohan Encourages the EPA to Move on Permit Reviews

Feb 25 – The Environmental Protection Agency needs to get back to the job of reviewing mining permits, says Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV), who joined other lawmakers from coal-producing states at a meeting with EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. Only one of 79 mining permits held up for an arbitrary “enhanced review” process has been issued in recent months. All the permits, including 23 in West Virginia alone, are for mining operations in the Appalachian states. The lawmakers expressed their frustration over many months of regulatory wrangling. The permitting delays impact more than coal mining – thousands of jobs in manufacturing, banking, healthcare and retail depend on business from coal companies and their employees. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Coal-State Senators Send Warning to EPA

Feb 24 – “In a recession that has killed trillions in wealth and millions of jobs, ill-considered environmental regulation is the last thing Americans need,” says an editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail, echoing the warning sent to the EPA administrator by coal-state senators frustrated with the agency’s activist agenda. The EPA’s actions have prompted Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to draft legislation that would suspend the EPA’s regulatory authority while the broader economic and environmental needs of the nation are considered. “We strongly believe this is ultimately Congress’ responsibility [to develop legislation], and if done properly, will create jobs, spur new clean energy industries, and greatly advance the goal of U.S. energy independence. If done improperly, these opportunities could be lost,” says Rockefeller. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Coal is Vital to the Economy of West Virginia

Feb 23 – “Coal is absolutely vital to the economy of West Virginia,” says Dr. Cal Kent of Marshall University’s Center for Business and Economic Research. “It’s hard to see how this state would be able to deliver any sort of rising standard of living if coal were not around.” According to the report written by Kent and Dr. Tom Witt of the West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the total economic impact of coal reaches $25.1 billion in the state, fueling 20,454 direct jobs and $676 million in taxes. The ongoing arbitrary hold of mining permits by the EPA for “enhanced review” threatens the state’s economic health as well as basic public services. “Demands for services from state and local governments would accelerate dramatically and the ability of those state and local governments to supply those increased demands would simply not be there,” say Kent and Witt. Read more in the Beckley Register-Herald.

“The EPA Needs to Get Their Act Together”

Feb 22 – “The EPA needs to tell the [mining] industry not only what they cannot do, which they’re good at, but what they can do in order to get a permit approved,” says Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) about the ongoing delay of mining permits and the bureaucratic wrangling that threatens coal mining in West Virginia. In a meeting with the editorial board of the Beckley Register-Herald, Rahall focused on the permitting delays as one of the primary threats to West Virginia. Nearly 40 percent of the coal produced in the state comes from surface mining and thousands of coal jobs and communities depend on the approval of mining permits. “And the EPA needs to get their act together. I told [EPA administrator] Lisa Jackson that herself. She knows they don’t have their act together,” he says. Read more in the Beckley Register-Herald.

From Rep. Shelley Moore Capito:

Capito: Plant Layoffs Highlight Urgent Need for Pro-Job Policies

Weak Economy, Uncertainty Contribute to Plant Restructuring, Layoffs

Feb 21 (Washington, DC) — Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., today expressed regret over CONSOL Energy’s announcement of a force reduction at the Fola Surface and Preparation Plant in Clay County. The company announced the majority of the workforce will remain at work under the new operational plan, but a total of 157 employees will be laid off effective immediately.

“The Fola mine announcement is another sobering reminder of the devastating effect a tough economy and uncertainty in energy policy have on jobs in West Virginia,” said Capito. “At a time of rising unemployment and poor market conditions, we must continue to work so that government does not compound these problems with uncertainty in environmental regulations and mining permits.

“The Administration and Congress need to instill clarity and certainty in our nation’s permitting process and mining operations so further layoffs can be avoided.”

North Central West Virginia Chambers Reaffirm Support of Coal

Feb 19 – Chambers of commerce from North Central West Virginia on Thursday reaffirmed their strong support of coal mining and highlighted the impact of mining on their community and counties across the state. “It’s undoubtedly one our best sources of revenue,” says Randy Elliot, Marion County Commission president. “We use money from the coal severance tax to fund projects from one end of the county to the other. And everyone gets the benefit.” Marion County alone receives nearly $2 million in coal severance money each year and every county in West Virginia – coal producing or not – receives a share of the taxes generated by coal. In addition to Marion County, chambers of commerce from Monongalia, Harrison, Barbour, Randolph and Upshur reaffirmed their support of coal. In all of those counties, without the vital funding generated by coal, community development projects and even basic services would be in jeopardy. “You can’t fund a project, whether it’s high-tech or otherwise, if you don’t have money,” says Sharon Shaffer of Marion County Regional Development Corp. “In West Virginia, that money comes from coal.” Read more in The Dominion Post (subscription required).

“The Industry Deserves Answers Now”

Feb 18 – “The industry deserves answers now,” says an editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail, relaying frustration with the EPA’s handling of the “enhanced review” of mining permits. The ongoing review process has threatened jobs and livelihoods across Appalachia. In West Virginia alone, at least 1,300 jobs hang in the balance as 23 permits receive increased the scrutiny. The EPA’s lack of clarity on permits has stymied coal production and in West Virginia, nearly 19 million tons of coal needed for affordable energy, are off limits. “The industry should get answers. [Environmental Protection] Agency officials should give the industry the guidelines that coal companies need to build mines to suit the new regime.” Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

EPA’s Lack of Clarity on Mining Permits Continues

Feb 17 – “We can’t get answers from the federal government,” says Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association on the EPA’s lack of clarity on mining permits. Raney and other coal representatives met with the West Virginia Select Committee on Coal Mine Permits to discuss what the state can do to expedite the approval of 20 mining permits still under “enhanced review” by the EPA. The arbitrary and opaque EPA permitting process threatens coal communities and coal jobs and also delays access to 19 million tons of coal reserves needed for affordable energy. “About 1,300 employees could be subject to some kind of action if these permits are not issued,” says Raney, “”It’s hanging up employment, it’s hanging up production, it’s hanging up revenues coming to the state of West Virginia.” Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

VA Mining Supporters Sway Vote on Anti-Coal Bill

Feb 16 – Opposition to the so-called “Stream Saver Bill” (Virginia SB564) in Virginia stopped a vote in legislative session. The bill was vocally opposed by a contingent from southwestern Virginia who travelled to the committee hearings to demonstrate for the goods jobs and affordable electricity provided by coal. Dozens more supporters sent 2,319 letters to Virginia lawmakers expressing their opposition to the proposed measure. “SB 564 is not designed just to end mountaintop mining as some have claimed, but rather it would stop all coal mining in Virginia,” says Jack Richardson, chairman of the Eastern Coal Council in a press release. Although the Virginia General Assembly committee did not vote on the bill this year, similar legislation is expected to be introduced in the 2011 session, necessitating a continued, vocal show of support for coal. “The economy of Virginia depends on coal and can ill afford to be jeopardized in this way,” says Richardson. Read more in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

VA Lawmakers and Residents Speak Out Against Anti-Coal Legislation

Feb 15 – Virginia lawmakers and residents vocally opposed the so-called Stream Saver Bill (Virginia SB564) at a committee hearing in Richmond. “This [bill] would bring economic devastation – absolute and total devastation – to this corner of the commonwealth,” said state Sen. William Wampler (R-Bristol) to the committee. The bill would ban mountaintop mining and effectively shut down coal operations in the state if passed. At the hearing, opponents of the bill numbered nearly 2-to-1; the show of support emphasized the importance of coal to southwestern Virginia, where many people depend on coal for their livelihoods. “I made it clear to the committee that if this bill was passed, hundreds of people would lose their jobs and that rather than killing jobs, we should be creating jobs,” said Delegate Will Morefield (R-Tazewell) is his newsletter. Read more in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

WV Delegate: “Embrace Coal”

Feb 12 – “The Obama administration has begun an unprecedented attack on coal,” says West Virginia House of Delegates member Walter E. Duke. “This wrong-headed and disastrous approach will further harm the West Virginia and the U.S. economy, increase unemployment, and increase U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources.” Duke urges Congress to support one of the few sectors that is thriving despite the down economy. Thousands of jobs in West Virginia depend on healthy coal mining. Read the op-ed in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Coal-State Residents Growing Frustrated with Obama

Feb 11 – Coal-state residents are growing increasingly frustrated with President Obama’s changing stance on coal. “Obama insists that he does not want to write off coal as a fuel used widely in the United States. But as so often is the case in Washington, his policies do not agree with his public pronouncements,” say an editorial in The Journal. Both lawmakers and citizens of coal-producing states are growing tired of an administration that touts the importance of coal to the American economy, while allowing the EPA to block permits across Appalachia. “He says it in his speeches, but he doesn’t say it in (his budget proposal). He doesn’t say it in the actions of (EPA Administrator) Lisa Jackson. And he doesn’t say it in the minds of my own people. And he’s beginning to not be believable to me,” says Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) on President Obama. Read more in The Journal.

Mining Permit Delays Impact Entire Economy

Feb 10 — Mining permit delays “affect everything from power generation to the construction of bridges and the manufacture of cars, appliances and computers,” says an editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail. The EPA’s permitting process takes about seven years, the longest process in the world, and hampers American manufacturers that rely on U.S. mining for affordable energy and essential raw materials. One mining permit delay reverberates from local mining communities to the national economy, forcing us to rely on foreign supplies instead of using the resources we have right here at home. “Unable to tap into the vast U.S. resources, U.S. manufacturers must buy supplies on the global market, making America dependent once again on foreign nations,” says the editorial. Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Mining Creates Land for Cattle Grazing

Feb 9 – “I couldn’t do anything with it until it was mountain-topped [removed],” says Danny Cantrell about his 60 acres of land now used for grazing cattle. “I had the choice whether to have it put back flat or to the original contour, so I took the flat land.” Cantrell is part of the growing number of cattle producers in southwestern Virginia that utilize 7,000 acres of flat land created by mountaintop mining to build a thriving livestock economy with sales over $1 million in 2007. Additional flat land is used to improve the community with needed retail and public-service developments. “If it wasn’t for mountaintop removal [mining] in our county, we wouldn’t have shopping centers or hospitals or schools built on it, and you can see how we use it for farming purposes, too, so it’s nothing but beneficial to us,” says Cantrell. Read more at TriCities.com

“They Change the Rules as You Go”

Feb 8 – “They change the rules as you go,” says Philip Mullins, Cumberland Resources director of permitting on the EPA’s opaque mining permit process. “There really is no boundary because they’re operating outside of the law.” The uncertainty about mining permits threatens thousands of jobs in southwestern Virginia as well as the area’s economic stability. Coal mining’s economic impact for the region is about $12.5 billion. The EPA is changing the rules without regard for the thousands of families across the region who rely on coal for their livelihoods, and fails to provide a legal means to appeal decisions that could drastically alter the future of coal in the United States. “With this administration … there’s not been one law changed. All that’s changed is the interpretation of the policies … but it’s had the effect of major legislation,” says Mullins. Read more at iStockAnaylst.com

“We Have to be Realistic About Energy Needs”

Feb 5 – “We have to be realistic about our baseload energy needs, and therefore, the importance of coal production and electricity generation must not be unduly hampered,” says Gov. Steven Beshear in a letter to President Obama reinforcing the importance of coal to Kentucky. Coal energy generates 92 percent of Kentucky’s electricity, draws manufacturers seeking affordable electricity rates and creates jobs – but is currently threatened by the EPA’s arbitrary review of mining permits that could halt mining and ruin the state’s economy. “[Regulation changes] will not only affect residential customers, but will force energy-intensive industries such as steel, aluminum and auto manufacturing to move – not to another state, but to other countries.” Read Gov. Beshear’s letter to President Obama.

Manchin Meets with Obama on Energy Policy

Feb 4 – “If we can use the land, remove the resources and benefit all the while, then we believe as states we should be able to do that,” said West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin after his sit-down with President Obama and Vice President Biden to discuss energy issues. “I shared with them that in West Virginia, we care about the environment, but also the security of our nation, energy independence and the economy and the jobs that go with that.” The meeting was an opportunity to set the record straight in Washington by explaining the ongoing effort to diversify energy resources, invest in new technology and formally object to the arbitrary handling of mining permits by the EPA. Read more:

Statement from Gov. Joe Manchin

West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Charleston Daily Mail

Manchin: West Virginia Committed to Responsible Land Development

Feb 3 – “Just cutting out coal is not feasible,” said Gov. Joe Manchin to a group of West Virginia business leaders as he prepared to meet with Obama and Vice President Biden to discuss the pressing energy issues facing the state. West Virginia is ranked as the third largest producer of wind power in the nation and is exploring solar power. Moreover, West Virginia requires comprehensive post-mining land-use plans before any coal mining permits can be issued. “I want them [Obama and Biden] to know we have a land-use bill,” said Manchin about the state and industry commitment to environmentally and economically responsible land development once mining ceases. “I think there’s a misconception that we don’t recognize we need to do our part for the environment.” Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.

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FACES UPDATES

Jul 28 – The Office of Surface Mining’s “open house” format ha… more

Jul 26 – “The death – at least for now – of cap and trade means Ob… more

Jul 23 – The National Mining Association filed suit against the Obam… more

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Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES)

Newsroom

Lack of Public Hearing Frustrates Coal Supporter

Coal Industry Advocates Speak Out Against The Feds Latest Attack on the Mining Industry

Op-Ed: Encourage Two-Year Restriction of EPA

NMA Files Suit Challenging Obama Administration on Mining Permits

“They Don’t Care About West Virginia”

Auto Fair Draws Coal Supporters

Coal Vital During High-Demand Summer Months

EPA’s Delay Tactics Endanger Appalachian Jobs

EPA Mining Ban Will Wipe Out Thousands of Jobs

“We Don’t Buy that Logic”

Countering the “War on Coal”

“Anti-Coal Agenda”

FACES of Coal Expresses Sadness and Appreciation in the Passing of Legendary West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd

WV Chamber of Commerce Blasts Coal Report “Fiction”

“Unfair Standard”

“Dagger at the Appalachian States”

WV Governor Underscores Importance of Domestic Coal Energy

U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers Decision: “Wrong Direction”

Army Corps of Engineers Continues to Challenge Coal Mining in Six States

FACES of Coal to the EPA: Conductivity is Not the Way to Measure Water Quality

“Cannot Be Clearer”

From the National Mining Association:

EPA’s Unprecedented Permit Policy Puts Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs at Risk

The “Unlawful Creep” of the EPA

“Dog in the Fight Against Coal”

Spruce No. 1 Mine Comment Period Ending

Subjective Conductivity Standards and EPA Overreach

EPA Permit Hold Has Potential to Devastate Coal Jobs

FACES of Coal Sponsors Soccer Tournament

Taken For Granted

Federal Government Adds Insult to Injury in Appalachia

Number of Permits on Hold by EPA Higher Than Publicly Disclosed

“Capricious” and “Uncaring” EPA Actions Threaten Jobs, Businesses

Senate Study Reports Jobs and Economic Security under Assault by EPA

The EPA Does Not Consider Jobs or Economic Impact

“Show Trial” For Mining Permits Frustrates Coal Supporters

“It’s Unfair and It’s wrong. It’s an Injustice.”

Local Chambers Unify in Denouncing EPA Mining Guidelines; Ask Senators to Intervene

Joint Letter to U.S. Senators Byrd and Rockefeller from Sixteen Local Chambers of Commerce

Letter to U.S. Senators Byrd and Rockefeller from the Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce

Republicans and Democrats Jointly Oppose New EPA Mining Guidelines

Congressmen to EPA: New Guidance for Permits is “Wrong Approach”

Lawmakers Protest New EPA Guidelines

West Virginia and Ohio Officials Join In Support of Coal

Spruce No. 1 Mine Hearing Schedule Puts Coal Supporters at a Disadvantage

Time for the EPA to Listen to You

Appalachian Mining Unfairly Targeting by EPA

President’s Visit a Comfort to Families and Offers Hope for the Future

West Virginia’s “Mountaineer Spirit”

Changing the Image of the American Miner

“These Are the People that Helped Build America”

West Virginians, Americans Come Together to Support Upper Big Branch Families

“West Virginians Come Together Like a Family”

FACES and National Mining Association Offer Thoughts and Prayers

FACES of Coal Offers Prayers and Support for the Victims and their Families of the Upper Branch Mine Tragedy

“Heedlessness Rather than Reasonableness”

A “Dangerous and Threatening” Action

EPA Intent on Destroying Appalachian Economy

EPA: Playing “Regulatory Games”

EPA Leaves Appalachian Mining in Dire Situation

“Unacceptable Adverse Impacts” on West Virginia Coal Economy

Mining Permit Revocation Creates New Questions

EPA Assault on West Virginia Jobs and Economy Continues

From the Office of Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV):

RAHALL BLASTS EPA ON SPRUCE MINE VETO

From the Office of Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV):

ROCKEFELLER CONDEMNS EPA VETO ON SPRUCE MINE PERMIT

From the Office of Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV):

Capito Disappointed in Spruce Mine No. 1 Permit Veto

EPA Decision Puts WV Jobs in Peril

From the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY):

A Threat to Coal-Mining Businesses in Kentucky

Approved Mine Threatened by Additional EPA Action

American Coal Concert Creates “Postive Energy” for Mining

Coal is a Job “Multiplier”

Lawmakers Join Together in Support of Kentucky Coal at FACES Rally

Coal Vital to All Residents of Kentucky

MEDIA ADVISORY: FACES of Coal Press Conference

Joint Letter to U.S. Senators Byrd and Rockefeller from
Sixteen Local Chambers of Commerce

Letter to U.S. Senators Byrd and Rockefeller from the
Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce