By Charles Young, The Exponent Telegram
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Representatives of the coal industry and the United Mine Workers of America gathered Wednesday afternoon at the state Culture Center on the grounds of the Capitol Complex for the annual West Virginia Coal Forum Legislative Briefing.
Industry stakeholders urged lawmakers to prioritize protecting coal mining and coal-fired power generation during the 2020 session of the Legislature.
Chris Hamilton, co-chair of the Coal Forum, asked legislators in attendance to do “everything humanly possible” to help support the state’s nine remaining coal-fired power plants.
“They are located strategically around the state — each one generates upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars,” Hamilton said.
“We want the Legislature and the state of West Virginia to become more involved with the operation of those plants — partnering with the utilities to ensure that they maintain those plants in a state of operational acceptance and that they retool and perform all the maintenance on those plants going forward so we can preserve those plants and increase the life of those plants.” …