The Democrat Party Sold Out to the Big Green Money Machine

By T.L. HEADLEY
Communications Director, Citizens for Coal
In 1961, then Massachusetts Senator John Kennedy and Democrat nominee for President visited the coalfields of West Virginia. He visited the coal towns, the company stores on Island Creek and met with thousands of coal miners. He showed clearly that he cared about coal country. Kennedy won West Virginia that year and with it won the presidency. He was tragically killed two years later, assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
In 1961, the Democrat Party represented the working-class people of America, the coal miners, steel workers, auto workers, the farmers and others. It shared our values. But somewhere along the line between then and now, the Democrat Party lost its way. It abandoned working-class Americans and traditional American values and chose to push an increasingly radical agenda. What was the voice of the American people has today become the voice of socialism, of radical environmentalism, of anti-industrialism, of killing babies and the violent political of division that has turned our city streets into lawless war zones.
For the past 60 years, we have watched as the Democrats pushed companies overseas with their increasingly heavy taxes and regulatory strangulation.
First, they went after steel and we lost our steel manufacturing to Japan and China. Then they pushed our auto industry into bankruptcy and decay. One after another they drove businesses off to other countries. Then, in 2009, with the election of the Obama/Biden regime, they came after coal. Regulation after regulation was passed, making it more and more difficult to mine, transport and use coal. The result was easy to see – companies driven into bankruptcy, coal mines closing and tens of thousands of layoffs. These coal mining families were forced to leave a lifetime’s possessions to foreclosure and repossession to find jobs somewhere else. Schools closed and communities died, given over to an epidemic of drugs and alcohol – a slow spiral of death.
Eight years of Obama/Biden nearly killed the nation’s coal industry. The Democrat Party of John Kennedy was dead. To Obama, Biden and Hillary Clinton, those Kennedy Democrats were now “deplorables.”
Then in 2016, the choice was stark and clear – between continuing down that course to the death of our coal industry and the hope for a new start – between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Trump promised to help our industry – to help our coalfield communities by bringing those businesses back to the United States and stabilizing our coal industry.  Clinton, the Democrat, said proudly that “she was going to put a lot of coal miners out of business.”
Trump, the Republican, won West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other formerly Democratic states in what Democrats called “The Rust Belt.”
Trump made good on his promises to us in America’s “Rust Belt.” He brought investment back to the United States with lower taxes and he moved swiftly to end the radicalized regulatory agencies’ reign of terror. The result was the fastest growing economy and lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. Our auto, steel and manufacturing industries began to grow again. Coal employment stabilized and we actually started to see some of those laid off return to work. Only a worldwide pandemic was able to slow our economy.
Now, it is 2020 and the choice is between continuing the policies of the Trump Administration and getting our nation back on track, or a return to the destructive policies of Obama/Biden combined with radical socialism of the modern “Democrat” Party.
For America’s coal miners, coal communities and the rest of the “Rust Belt” – all of us “Deplorables” — there is no choice. We MUST re-elect President Trump if we are to stand any chance at all of holding on to our way of life.
I was born and raised in the coalfields of West Virginia. I have a college degree and could have gone anywhere else in the world and probably made a lot more money, but I chose to stay here because it is my home. I am proud to be a West Virginian and proud to be the product of two generations of a coal mining family. I am proud of the contribution the coal industry has made to this country and proud of our coal miners.
My father was a Kennedy Democrat and he would be ashamed of what the modern Democrat Party has become.
An eternal flame was placed on President Kennedy’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery. It was meant to symbolize his eternal love for this country. It seems today’s Democratic Party is intent on snuffing out that flame.

Editor’s Note: T.L. Headley is a professional educator in West Virginia. He holds an MBA from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in education from Marshall University and a master’s degree in public relations from Marshall. He is also an energy expert with more than 20 years of experience in the coal industry. 

 

 

Tracking Coal through the Process of Steel Making

By T.L. HEADLEY, communications director
American Coal Council
GRANITE CITY, IL — Granite City  is the quintessential American small town. It has a population of about 26,000 and for more than 100 years, its economy has largely been dependent on the local U.S. Steel manufacturing plant. For most of that time the community lived with the assurance that comes with an economy centered on basic industry.
That assurance was shaken three years ago when the steel plant laid off most of the 2,000 workers, leaving only a small skeleton crew. The town was shaken at its core. Rosemarie Brown, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Southwestern Madison County, said the closure was “devastating.”
“The Granite City Works is vital to the community,” Brown said. “In fact, the town was founded around the plant in 1894.” Brown said that in the year after the plant effectively shut down, the Chamber lost 26 member companies.
All that changed when the new Trump administration shifted U.S. trade policy and began taking actions to support the domestic steel industry. Earlier this year, U.S. Steel announced it was restarting both furnaces at the Granite City plant and began recalling laid-off workers. Approximately 800 have returned to work in just the past few months with just one furnace online. More will be needed when the second furnace goes back into production later this year.

Tracking Coal through the Process of Steel Making

A Cup Half Full: Answering the Question “Why Coal and How Coal?”

By Glenn Kellow, CEO
Peabody
WASHINGTON, DC –– U.S. coal exports are booming; domestic generation is easing; global metallurgical coal demand is strong; American natural gas and renewables are tough competitors; new coal plants continue to be built in large numbers particularly in Asia; opponents call for divestment from fossil fuels; recent policies represent potential opportunity.
Just another year in the dynamic coal industry, you might say. Yet amid this mixed “elevator analysis” related to coal fundamentals, I would submit that we can make two statements with confidence.
First: Coal remains an essential part of our global energy mix and a key ingredient in steelmaking.
Second: The question is not “Should we use coal?”, but “How should we use coal?”… And the answer is: cleaner every day.

Glenn Kellow is President & CEO of Peabody, and serves as chairman of the World Coal Association and vice chairman of the International Energy Agency’s Coal Industry Advisory Board.

A Cup Half Full: Answering the Question “Why Coal and How Coal?”

Regional State of the States: Association Leaders Look to the Future

By T.L. Headley, communications director
American Coal Council
WASHINGTON, DC –– Recently, I spoke with the leaders of four of the nation’s state coal associations and asked them to discuss their experiences over the past few years, to assess the current status of the industry in their states and regions, and to share their views of the industry’s future strengths and opportunities.
Those interviewed included Phil Gonet, president of the Illinois Coal Association; Rachel Gleason, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance; Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association; and Travis Deti, executive director of the Wyoming Mining Association.

Regional State of the State: Association Leaders Look to the Future

We Have a Bright Future if We Take the Right Steps Today

By BILL RANEY, president

West Virginia Coal Association

Bill Raney

According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), an office of the federal Department of Energy, West Virginia coal production year-to-date is up 20 percent over the same period last year, and we appear on target to possibly cross the 100 million ton level for the full year. Our mines are once again producing, we are beginning to rehire miners after eight long, hard years of fighting to just stay in business.

 

Even so, we remain a long way from the 170 million tons we produced in 2008, before the Obama Administration began its war on coal. And we may never get back to those levels, because most of those 400 coal-fired power generation units Obama shut down with his regulatory assault have been torn down, left to rust or converted to natural gas.

 

The good news is the world never stopped recognizing the value of coal, and 2,200 new coal-fired power plants are scheduled to go online between now and 2040. Many of those plants will look to import their supplies and we plan to be the source of much of that coal. We are uniquely located close to rail and barge transportation to major coal port facilities. And our metallurgical coal remains plentiful and second to none in quality.

 

The recovery in the state’s coal industry has played itself out through the entire economy, with state unemployment levels dropping from double-digits just a year or so ago to 4.4 percent today – led by a recovery of the coalfield economy.

 

But none of this would be possible without the 2016 election of President Trump – who has kept every promise he made to our coal miners and the people of our state. He has one-by-one rescinded every anti-coal regulation enacted by the Obama Administration, and he continues to do more. Just recently, his Department of Energy issued a report that said it is vital for the U.S. to preserve its coal fleet for the sake of the stability and reliability of the electric grid.

 

It also appears likely that the president will strip away the billions of dollars of grants and tax credits that have propped up the renewable energy industry for the past eight years, finally returning the energy markets to a level playing field. And that’s all we’ve ever asked for – a fair chance to compete.

 

The Trump Administration has stepped up and done its part. Now it is time for the state government to do its part to position us to compete in the world marketplace. We need to reduce costs across the industry. To do so, we need to reduce the state tax rate on the coal industry. We need to cut severance taxes, cut property taxes (particularly for idled property so it can be held for future use) and remove outdated regulatory constraints.

 

Most of all, we need state agencies to recognize the value of our coal industry. We believe most do. If there is one good outcome of the past eight years it is that many state leaders have been reminded of that importance. However, in the effort to find ways to plug a budget hole, we are concerned they will see coal as a source for that revenue. That can’t happen. The state’s coal industry is barely getting back on its feet and we need investment to continue that climb. We need to have capital for improvements freed up and not locked up in taxes.

 

We are confident our current Legislature and Governor Justice understand this need. And we see a bright future for West Virginia coal if given a chance.

 

Yours,

 

Bill

U.S. Rail Coal Shipments To Rise Amid Favorable Business Environment

President Trump recently announced the federal government’s intention to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, and while the process to formally withdraw from the global climate treaty will take years, the announcement is an indication of the administration’s intention to create a more favorable business environment for the coal industry. Moreover, rising natural gas prices should translate into steady growth in coal production in the coming years.

Under the Paris Climate Agreement, the U.S. committed to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by the year 2025. Had the U.S. followed through on its commitment, it would have led to the rapid substitution of coal by natural gas, a fuel with lower emissions, in electricity generation from 2020 onwards, when the Paris Climate Agreement enters into force. However, with the federal government indicating that it does not plan to follow through on the agreement as a part of its promise to lower restrictive environmental regulations on U.S. industries, the regulatory environment for coal production going forward appears to be favorable.

In addition, natural gas prices, which averaged close to $2.50 per MMBTU in 2016, are likely to rise to $3.17 per MMBTU and $3.43 per MMBTU in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Rising exports of natural gas and LNG, as well as higher demand for natural gas for electricity generation amid strengthening economic conditions, are expected to translate into rising natural gas prices, at least in the near term.

However, in the longer term, the declining production costs of electricity generation from renewable sources could threaten the sustainability of electricity generation from fossil fuels.

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EPA Sued for Withholding Info on Employees Sending Encrypted Text Message

By Michael Bastach, Daily Caller (03/22/2017)

A public interest law firm sued the EPA for not turning over records regarding agency officials’ use of encrypted messaging applications. The Cause of Action Institute (CoA) filed suit in the District Court for the District of Columbia Tuesday after the EPA failed to turn over any records to the group within the time limits specified under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

“Career employees at the EPA appear to be using Signal to avoid transparency laws and vital oversight by the Executive Branch, Congress, and the public,” Henry Kerner, CoA’s assistant vice president, said in a statement. “Communications on this encrypted application, however, which relate to agency business must still be preserved under the Federal Records Act and be made available for disclosure under the FOIA.”

 

Republican senator defends cuts to EPA, which he says is ‘brainwashing our kids’

By Eliza Relman, Business Insider (Mar. 16, 2017)

Senator James Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, claimed that the Environmental Protection Agency is releasing “propaganda” that is “brainwashing our kids,” during a CNN interview on Thursday. “We want to deliver the services. We ought to make things clean,” Inhofe said. “But we ought to take all this stuff that comes out of the EPA that’s brainwashing our kids, that is propaganda, things that aren’t true, allegations.”

Inhofe also defended President Donald Trump’s proposed 31 percent funding cut to the EPA, which includes a $100 million reduction in funding for the agency’s climate change programs.

The EPA is facing, arguably, the deepest cuts of any federal agency under Trump’s proposed budget, an outline of which was unveiled on Thursday. The budget allocates $5.7 billion for the EPA, down from $8.3 billion.

 

Trump Outlines Economic Plan that will Restore our Nation’s Economy and put our People Back to Work

As I’m sure everyone knows, Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, laid out details of his “America First” economic plan in a speech in Detroit earlier this week, that was carried live on nationwide television. While he spoke of tax reductions and reform and changing and/or nullifying trade agreements, the significance to our industry were his proposals for regulatory reform and advancing a workable energy program that will put our people back to work. Below are some of the pertinent excerpts from his speech that will give you a feel for the positive tone of his proposals …
“The U.S. economy today is twenty-five percent smaller than it would have been without the surge of regulations since 1980.”
“Upon taking office, I will issue a temporary moratorium on new agency regulations.”
“I will also immediately cancel all illegal and overreaching executive orders. Next, I will ask each and every federal agency to prepare a list of all of the regulations they impose on Americans which are not necessary, do not improve public safety, and which needlessly kill jobs. Those regulations will be eliminated.”
“The Obama-Clinton Administration has blocked and destroyed millions of jobs through their anti-energy regulations, while raising the price of electricity for both families and businesses. As a result of recent Obama EPA actions coal-fired power plants across Michigan have either shut down entirely or undergone expensive conversions. The Obama-Clinton war on coal has cost Michigan over 50,000 jobs. Hillary Clinton says her plan will ‘put a lot of coal companies and coal miners out of business.’
“We will put our coal miners and steelworkers back to work.”
“American steel will send new skyscrapers soaring. We will put new American metal into the spine of this nation. It will be American hands that rebuild this country, and it will be American energy – mined from American sources – that powers this country.”
“We are ready to show the world that America is Back – Bigger, and Better and Stronger Than Ever Before.”

There are other highlights in the release that accompanied the speech. Those highlights include lifting restrictions on American energy, rescinding the Clean Power Plan (CPP) and Waters of the United States regulations, cancelling the Paris Climate Agreement and stopping all payments of U.S. tax dollars to U.N. global warming programs.

Bill Raney, president
West Virginia Coal Association

WVCA Lauds Trump Pledge to Restore American Industrial and Mining Jobs:

Team of Trump and Cole Provides Leadership We Need to Rebuild our Economy

CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney today issued the following statement lauding presumptive GOP nominee for President Donald Trump for his comments following last night’s victories in the nation’s final primaries.

“Last night, Donald Trump made it absolutely clear that he is who we need as president if we want to restore our nation’s economy,” Raney said. “And he reminded us all of what America can be if our industries are allowed to compete on a level playing field.

“As Mr. Trump said in his brief comments following his wrapping up the party’s nomination, ‘Every election year politicians promise change and every year they fail to deliver. And the one thing we have learned is we can’t solve our problems by relying on politicians who have created our problems.’

“For the past eight years, the Obama administration has done everything possible to put our coal miners out of work and destroy the nation’s coal industry, and Hillary Clinton has promised the same thing! We can’t afford another four or eight years  of leaders who have shown themselves willing to destroy our own basic industries while bankrupting our nation.

“Mr. Trump is right, our coal miners – our wonderful and hardworking miners, who have been absolutely and totally mistreated by this administration – deserve respect for the work they have done and continue to do to make this country great.  They absolutely don’t deserve to be the target of ridicule and callous disregard for their economic futures.

“Mr. Trump says he “will reduce regulatory pressures from their current insane levels” and bring an end to the War on Coal.  When this occurs and we return to a situation in which the market determines winners and losers I am certain we can once again compete and restore our coal mining jobs. Our coal is the best in the world. Our coal miners are the best in the world, and given a fair chance, they can compete with anyone, anywhere.”

“Mr. Trump says he is a ‘fighter’ and if he is forced to fight he ‘will never back down.’ Our coal miners are too. We have fought this fight for almost eight years and we will not stop.

“West Virginia is suffering.  America is suffering, but as Mr. Trump says, we CAN turn this around.

“We believe the team of Trump and GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Cole provides the leadership our state and our nation needs as we restore our economy and our people’s faith in the greatness of America.  And yes, it is long past time to put America – and West Virginia – first once again. “