W.Va. Business Summit Forum to Focus on Challenges to Coal - WVNS-TV

Coal’s future will be the subject of a panel, “Preserving the West Virginia Coal Industry,” at the Sept. 2-4 West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Business Summit.

International Coal Group Vice President Eugene Kitts will discuss ideas he presented before the Senate at a June hearing on mountaintop mining.

“The indicator the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses for measuring the quality of (streams) is the existence of certain types of aquatic insects,” Kitts explained.

“They are using this criterion, which isn’t supported by state water quality standards, to claim that mining activity is causing a significant adverse impact on water quality. Our argument is that the state is the entity that should be interpreting the narrative water quality standards, and that the state has to make the judgment calls as to whether an activity is allowed or not allowed based on potential impact.”

Whether the state itself can use biological indicators is the subject of a Notice of Intent to Institute Civil Action that the West Virginia Coal Association filed with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in April.

While Kitts will focus on the effects on coal of efforts to preserve stream quality, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vice President for Climate and Technology Stephen Eule will talk about the possible effects on coal because of climate change legislation now in Congress.

Eule plans to cover the climate bill passed by the House of Representatives in June and versions that are taking shape in the Senate. He will then discuss the scale of greenhouse gas emissions reductions proposed by the House.

“I don’t think people have an appreciation for how much has to be done to reduce emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and by 83 percent by 2050,” said Eule.

Emissions reductions called for in the House bill may be met through means that include energy demand reduction, efficiency and clean coal technologies such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

But CCS is not yet ready, Eule said.

“There’s no regulatory framework at this point, and that’s got to be developed,” he said. “There are liability issues, big pipeline systems will be needed to inject carbon dioxide into appropriate geologic formations — so there’s a lot of things that have to fall into place. I think we’re still 10 to 15 years away from commercially viable carbon capture and sequestration technology.”

Both Kitts and Eule hope that participants will take away information that will help them take action in support of coal.

West Virginia economists Tom Witt, director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University, and Calvin Kent, vice president of Business and Economic Research at Marshall University, also will speak during the symposium. The two economists will review of the role of coal in the state’s economy.

The forum “Preserving West Virginia’s Coal Industry” will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 4 at The Greenbrier.

I find it fascinating that the coal industry still will take no responsibility for their actions. Claiming that their industry has no effect on local water quality is laughable, especially in light of the coal slurry spills in the last year. Coal is forcing West Virginians into poverty by destroying property values and tourist revenues, not to mention people's livelihoods. Whether or not you think that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, whether or not you think that humans cause global warming, doesn't it just make sense to stop blowing up mountains and polluting well water and filling in valleys?

--- “There’s no regulatory framework at this point, and that’s got to be developed,” he said. -- Of course it does, and that's why this clean energy bill needs to pass. It provides the funding and the incentive to companies to move away from the dead end road that is total national dependence on FINITE resources like coal and oil. It's time we start investing our time and money in more secure, dependable, renewable resources before we really wind up in a pickle and it's too late. The bill will allow opportunities for West Virginia to overcome the negative national stigma the coal industry has helped create and be more welcoming to new clean energy industries. New industries that will create jobs and bring much needed money to the area. New industries that won't pollute.

I think the validity of 'Climate Change' and 'Global Warming' should still be in question. Earth has gone through many stages in temperature/climate- and let's not forget that it is the end of the Ice Age, so yeah, the ice caps are going to melt... As far as a clean environment is concerned, I do think the state should be in charge of establishing strict regulations on levels of pollution. The federal gov. should let the state decide. I love WV and want to keep it clean, but let's be reasonable. Coal is WV largest industry, yes improvements need to be made, but let's not cast aside our most plentiful resource in the name of a theory. I believe we can keep a balance in industry and a clean environment.

Wow, the stuff people do for money. King Coal is no different than drug cartels, prostition rings and con-men. Bank of America will no longer finance Mountaintop Removal mining. Many states are banning the use of coal from MTR mines. Why cant the mining companies see that MTR is a bad idea? GREED Visit ilovemountains.org

Clarification - Gene Kitts did not testify before the Senate but rather expressed these concerns directly to WV's congressional delegation in a series of meetings in DC earlier this year. The same concerns were also presented to EPA and the Council on Environmental Quality in similar meetings.

Just a clarification - Gene Kitts did not testify before the Senate but rather expressed these concerns directly to WV's congressional delegation in various meetings in Washington. These concerns were also presented to EPA and the Council on Environmental Quality in other meetings.

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