In excess of 2,200 total attendance, with over 500 high-level registrants for the West Virginia Coal Association Symposium
by Donna Schmidt
That’s a wrap once again. The third West Virginia Coal Show, co-located with the 52nd annual West Virginia Coal Association symposium, is now in the books and planning for the 2027 event is already under way.
The two-day event held March 31-April 1 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in the heart of the capital city’s downtown was buzzing over coal – from technology and research to plans for new facilities. Those of the many who crossed between the expo floor and the conference room got to hear and see a myriad of experts talking about what’s going on in the industry as well as a lot about what’s to come, from politics and legislation to safety and health.
On the safety front, a number of attendees took the time to step over to the coliseum for the event’s first-ever collegiate mine rescue demonstration, performed perfectly by the team from West Virginia University. The scenario was set up with mock mine entries and injuries, and the crew members carefully took to the floor to solve the mine rescue issue and follow protocol to the letter. NAM worked alongside the overseer of the team, Joshua Brady from WVU, to bring the demo to the event and also to organize the scenario details and team’s travel to Charleston.
West Virginia Coal Association President Chris Hamilton stated: “In West Virginia alone, coal contributed over $21 billion in total economic impact to West Virginia. It accounted for more than 43,000 jobs when combining direct and indirect employment, and it supported over $3 billion in wages and salaries. Severance taxes from coal help fund our public schools, infrastructure projects, and first responders. This industry doesn’t just employ – it invests back into the state in a real, tangible way. And the economic importance of coal goes far beyond West Virginia’s borders.”
In addition to the show, the conference and two awards dinners held during the event, the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame inducted its 28th class during a special ceremony.
In all, six leaders in the industry were honored, including:
- Charles Bearse, president/CEO, Blackhawk Mining
- Michael Day, CEO, Eagle Summit Resources
- Robert Moore, president/CEO, American Consolidated Natural Resources
- Gary Hartsog, president, Alpha Engineering Services
- Keith Hainer, president, Matrix Design Group
- Bill Reid, founder/CEO & president, CoalZoom
The West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame is a joint initiative between the West Virginia Coal Mining Institute and West Virginia Coal Association.
One other presentation that received a lot of attention was from Matt McKean, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Frontieras North America, who came to Charleston to talk about the company’s innovative coal utilization technology, FASForm, which aims to extract maximum energy value from hydrocarbons with minimal coal consumption. In his discussion, he highlighted the company’s patent portfolio along with its significant advancements in coal reformation.
The speech was held ahead of an April 2 groundbreaking for Frontieras’ facility in Mason County, W.Va.; see more on page 26 for coverage from the ceremony.
While the tone of the presentation – and that of the entire coal show event – was positive, there were a few concerns, not the least of which being the recent furloughs at regional miner Coronado Coal, along with issues on the global front that will impact coal and its demand, how it is used, and then transported and sold.
McKean summed it up well. “We’d better be careful, because things look good right now, and we’re one bad election away from things going back to the way they were,” he said. “And if you think there aren’t forces at work that want to put it back to the way it was a few years ago, we have to wake up and realize that we are in a battle for the soul of this country.”
We at SEMCO Publishing and North American Mining, and on behalf of the West Virginia Coal Association, want to thank our sponsors, exhibitors and attendees for a great turnout, endless networking and conversation, and an overall excellent show. We look forward to seeing everyone again in April 2027.