Last week, Senator Jay Rockefeller gave an historic and courageous speech on the future of coal and the EPA (MACT) rule to limit contaminants and mercury emissions from coal fired power plants. Ken Ward analyzes the speech at Coal Tattoo so we don't have to. As the Center for American Progress (CAP) points out, this…
Energy & Environment
While the country is struggling to dig itself out of the Lesser Depression, the mining industry (oil, gas, and coal) has fared much better than most industries over the last three years. Currently, the unemployment rate in the mining industry is 4.5 percent, which is close to full employment, compared to 7.9 percent nationally. As…
Over at the Wheeling Intelligencer there seems to be some confusion about the growth and the number of natural gas jobs in the state, with estimates ranging from about 2,200 to over 16,000. Compiled below is a breakdown of natural gas sector job growth based on an analysis we did back in November. These annual…
As we discussed in a previous post, coal mining employment has risen over the last three years. Today, Workforce WV released job figures for the fourth quarter of 2011 and the annual average of 2011. Included in this release is coal mining employment. The two charts below use this new data to update our previous…
Over at Coal Tattoo, Ken Ward has a must read piece on why state politicians and the media avoid having a balanced discussion regarding the impact of the coal industry. One of the central reasons why our state is unable to have a rational discussion is the propaganda and inflammatory rhetoric coming from the coal…
Over at Coal Tattoo, Ken Ward has a must read piece on why state politicians and the media avoid having a balanced discussion regarding the impact of the coal industry. One of the central reasons why our state is unable to have a rational discussion is the propaganda and inflammatory rhetoric coming from the coal…
Source: www.wvminesafety.org/historicprod.htmand http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/stb0702.xls
On February 13, 2012 Executive Director Ted Boettner presented at the Annual Conference of the West Virginia Association of Counties on the benefits of an economic diversification fund in West Virginia. Such a fund would provide revenue for the state during times of economic slowdown which can especially hard-hitting to local and county governments and…
Executive Director Ted Boettner was invited by the Senate Economic Development Committee to present information on a West Virginia Future Fund. Senate Bill 182 would create such a fund and is under consideration by the committee. He provided data on natural gas production and prices and gave estimates on how much revenue could accumulate in…
As one of the least economically diverse states in the nation, West Virginia relies heavily on its natural resources for revenue. Funds from these resources fluctuate and, one day, will be gone. As the Marcellus “Gold Rush” comes to West Virginia, it is time for policymakers to consider establishing a permanent mineral trust fund in…