"BLUEFIELD — Each week, the West Virginia Coal Association sends out an e-mail blast called “Coal Bits.” The weekly newsletter contains information about up-coming events, symposiums, legislative updates and such as well as the current statistical information supplied by the federal Energy Information Agency, the National Mining Association and the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training.
It doesn’t take a statistician to extrapolate that the numbers in the coal industry remain distressed, but there was some data in this week’s report from the Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training that seemed rather startling. From Jan. 1, through March 26, the actual number of active coal miners in West Virginia dropped from 18,200 to 15,604. Of that number, 12,697 were working in underground coal mines and 2,907 were working at surface mines."
Bill Archer reports for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph April 12, 2015.
SEE ALSO:
"China's Coal Imports Fall Nearly Half in 12 Months as Anti-Pollution Drive Bites" (Guardian)
Coal on the Ropes: Report Shows Dramatic Decline in Number of WV Miners
Source: Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 04/13/2015
