“It is safe to say that no other industry has quite the impact in the state that mining has,” Hamilton told an industry crowd at the event, which has been touted as having record attendance from both exhibitors and guests this year.
Because there is no “feasible alternative” to coal in many areas, he explained, it places the state in a leadership position as the second largest coal producer as well as the state with the highest underground coal output nationwide.
The issue for the nation, he added, is where the coal will come from that is needed in the future. He stressed that current importing of coal is unnecessary because it is all available domestically.
“It makes no sense to replace foreign oil with foreign coal,” he said.
Pair that scenario with the increasing use of western coal, and the conditions toughen for the southern West Virginia region.
He offered solutions to strengthen the state’s stature in the nation as a coal force, including building new generation plants near active mines. Progress being made by the industry itself, he added, is lending a hand in improving the sector.
“We’re getting better at coal utilisation,” Hamilton said, adding that furthermore, the coal community is well situated to meet tomorrow’s opportunities.
“It’s [also] getting safer every day [to mine coal],” he added.
Hamilton touched on the healthy size of steps forward being made in mine safety over the last year and a half.
“Kudos to the industry who has worked hard to improve mine safety in the last 18 months,” he said.
He empathised with the embattled industry, which he said has lost decades of progress in the public’s eye with incidents that have occurred during the recent past.
However, he pointed out that 2007, although again bruised with fatalities, has seen a 50% drop over last year (to date) in mining-related deaths.
Those numbers are down 80% in the state of West Virginia. Despite this improvement in safety, he pointed out, “one death is too many.”
Hamilton, who was speaking in place of an absent WVCA president Bill Raney, said the industry needs to remember that progress is being made.
“Don’t let anyone tell you the industry is dragging its feet,” he said with regards to mine safety. “Progress has been phenomenal.”
Well over 200 suppliers, consultants and other industry-related companies have filled the Brushfork Armory-Civic Center and spilled over into the acreage surrounding it for the show, which continues through Friday afternoon.
