Release from the West Virginia Coal Association:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Jim Justice conducted ceremonial bill signings Wednesday for several pieces of legislation from the 2018 legislation session that will impact the West Virginia Coal industry.
The WV Coal Association outlined the bills:
- SB525: Relating to certification for EMT-Mining ─ Codifies the transfer of the EMT-Mining Certification Program from the WV Office of Emergency Services to the WV Office of Miners’ Health, Safety & Training and provides for the ability of mine safety instructors to provide annual instruction for recertification.
- SB626: Coal Jobs & Safety Act IV ─ Provides for the state to accept certain mining plans and safety program reviews that duplicate existing federal requirements; the legislation also requires automatic defibrillators at surface mines and authorizes the use of diesel generators in underground mines, among the bill’s many other provisions.
- HB4626: Continuation and expansion of the Innovative Mine Safety Technology Tax Credit ─ Extends the credit until 2025 and amends the qualifying criteria to allow for the application of the credit (up to a 50 percent) against the cost of “proximity detection devices, cameras, underground safety shelters and the refurbishing of safety shelters.” The credit heretofore was restricted to the purchase of safety equipment not required by state or federal law.
Gov. Jim Justice signs several bills on April 11 that will impact the West Virginia coal industry. Attending the signing are, from left, W. Va. Delegate Rupie Phillips, R-24th; West Virginia Coal Association Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton, WVCA President Bill Raney and WVCA Vice President Jason Bostic.
Following the signings, West Virginia Coal Association issued a statement thanking the Gov. Jim Justice for his support of the legislation.
“We are proud and grateful of the strong relationship our governor has with West Virginia coal miners. By signing these bills today, Gov. Justice has reaffirmed his commitment to help us move our industry into the future,” said West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney. “Given the intensity of the 2018 legislative session, we appreciate the hard work legislators did to help the coal industry modernize our regulations. The governor’s official stamp of approval today is most appreciated.”
Other coal industry bills signed by the governor that were not part of today’s signing ceremony include:
- SB230: Provided significant revisions to State requirements governing underground diesel equipment.
- SB163: Department of Environmental Protection’s mining and reclamation rule package.
- HB4628: Eliminates the current surcharge on workers compensation insurance policies for self-insurers and subscribers by Jan. 1, 2019. The surcharge was established in 2005 to retire the unfunded liability of the old workers comp fund.
The WVCA represents more than 90 percent of the state’s underground and surface coal mine production. Visit www.wvcoal.comfor more information.