W.Va. Coal Dust Standards Not Enforced from the Associated Press via the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"State standards are aimed at reducing buildups of explosive coal dust in underground mines, but regulators haven’t been enforcing those standards."

Post-Gazette Series Pt. 5

Industry Drawn Again to Pittsburgh by Resources that Once Supported Steel Mills from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
""It's paradoxical that the area is ripe for a resurgence precisely because of the legacy industrial infrastructure," said David N. Taylor, president of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association."

Consol to Lay Off Remaining Fola Mine Workers from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Southpointe-based energy company (NYSE: CNX) said earlier this year that it would lay off 318 employees at Fola, which is near Bickmore, W.Va., and have the 147 remaining employees work on reclamation efforts. Those efforts are expected to be finished in February, with the 131 Fola employees and 16 Little Creek Mine employees being laid off beginning Feb. 14."

Consol Headquarters

River Industry: Anti-Drought Efforts Hurt Commerce from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"River industry officials say drought-fighting measures taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers threaten to further disrupt barge traffic on the Mississippi River or even close the river to commerce, jeopardizing about $7 billion in shipments of grain, coal and other commodities."

Petrochemical Facility Building Boom Could Delay Beaver County Cracker Plant, Expert Says from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A petrochemical building boom planned in the Gulf Coast makes it unlikely that Royal Dutch Shell plc could open a proposed cracker plant in Beaver County sooner than 2020, an industry expert said on Wednesday at a Downtown conference."

Coal Industry Takes Hits but Future Looks Brighter from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Coal is getting no love, not from the markets nor from the government. ... This week's Pittsburgh Business Times has a special section on the coal industry."
This story links to an important series of articles on the coal industry in our region and nationally.

In Beaver County, The Cracker is on the Ballot from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"For one GOP legislator, Pennsylvania needs to go full speed ahead with drilling in the Marcellus Shale. No looking back. And he thinks voters in his district will agree with him. The Allegheny Front's Reid R. Frazier has the first of three stories in how the Marcellus Shale is factoring into regional elections."

Cheap Natural Gas Gives New Hope to the Rust Belt from the Wall Street Journal [partial subscription wall]
"BEAVER COUNTY, Pa.—Three decades after being devastated by the closing of steel mills, this gritty river valley is hoping its revival will come from cheap natural gas. The hope doesn't rest on drilling rigs, but on a multibillion-dollar chemical plant that Royal Dutch Shell PLC is
considering building here because of a flood of domestically produced natural gas. Community leaders are touting the plant as the first step toward reviving a manufacturing industry many thought was gone for good."

Clean Coal Resurfaces in Political Campaigns from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"Greenhouse gas emissions are decreasing, thanks to the weak economy, more use of wind and solar power, and the sudden influx of cleaner burning natural gas. So where does that leave Pennsylvania's former energy titan, king coal? As State Impact Pennsylvania's Susan Phillips reports, the coal industry is working hard to clean up its reputation. "

1,200 Jobs Cut as Coal Mines Idled from the Pittsburgh Business Times  
"Alpha Natural Resources said Tuesday it will cut 1,200 jobs and idle coal mines in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. The reductions will immediately affect about 400 who work at eight mines that are being idled ..."

Shaky Ground: Farmer Fears for Future as Gas Drilling Begins Near Scores of Abandoned Well Sites from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"The industry and its proponents say that hydrofracturing, as the process is formally called, is safe — and that it brings jobs. But environmentalists say there are risks. And Henry, who runs a farm less than a mile from this soon-to-be-operational rig, has a special reason for worrying about such impacts. She and her neighbors live in an area that already bears the scars of resource extraction: abandoned well sites from oil and gas drilling that date back a century and more."

Cracker Plant Backers Plan Meeting on Jobs, Economic Effects from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Boosters for a new petrochemical plant in Beaver County said they will host a public meeting Tuesday to discuss their new analysis of job creation and economic impact from the proposed project. Leaders with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development will speak from 7 to 8 p.m. at Central Valley High School’s auditorium. They also will talk about what local communities can do to maximize benefits of what could be a multi-billion-dollar project."

KY, OH, and PA Earn Top Spots Among "Toxic 20" from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Natural Resources Defense Council ranked Pennsylvania third among the "Toxic 20," a list of 20 states with the most toxic air pollution caused by Coal fired power generation. Kentucky took the top spot on the list compiled by the nonprofit environmental organization. Ohio came in second."

Groups Plan Precious Metals Refinery in the Strip from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"A plan to bring a precious metals refinery to Pittsburgh’s Strip District is moving along, and the investment group behind the plan intends operations to begin by the end of the year or early 2013."

EPA Sharply Limits Mountaintop Mining (Mike Lillis) from Washington Monthly
"The White House on Thursday took a giant leap toward eliminating new mountaintop coal mining projects in the Appalachian states, issuing strict new guidelines designed to protect headwater streams by curbing the practice of dumping waste in neighboring valleys. Announcing the changes, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said the guidelines are intended to make the standards governing new mountaintop projects “clear and consistent,” following a series of EPA decisions over the past year that stakeholders on all sides of the debate found contradictory."

Consol Plans to Expand Operation from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"The largest underground coal mining complex in the nation could soon be growing larger. Consol Energy Inc. is proceeding with plans to expand its Bailey Mine in Greene County, a project that will add a fifth longwall mining machine to its sprawling Bailey-Enlow Fork complex straddling the Greene and Washington county line."