By Erin Beck, Register-Herald
Charleston, W.Va. – Those who remember promises public officials in West Virginia have made about the future of the coal industry are skeptical of a new initiative Governor Jim Justice announced to research alternative uses for the fossil fuel.
During his State of the State address at the West Virginia Capitol Wednesday, Justice, a Republican and coal company owner, announced that the Wyoming-based company Ramaco Carbon would be opening a research facility in West Virginia focused on turning coal to carbon fiber. …
“WVU, right now, I am announcing tonight and I’m sure that everyone probably already knows, but they are going to develop and open a research facility at WVU to research just this,” Justice said. “And not only that, Ramaco is looking at the possibility of bringing one of these plants to southern West Virginia.”
Ramaco spokeswoman Liz Brimmer said Thursday that WVU is not involved. She said the research facility would be located at the WV Regional Technology Park in South Charleston. …
Also according to the release, the facility “will be the second such coal research facility that Ramaco Carbon currently has under development, which are called iCAM centers (Carbon Advanced Materials) The first research center, located in Sheridan, Wyoming, is under construction and is scheduled to open this summer.”
In an interview Thursday, Brimmer said that the research facility will open, but whether a plant also opens in West Virginia is still to be determined. …
