March 14, 2026 - Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) which represents the interests of American steel producers, will be a keynote speaker at the Metallurgical Coal Producers Association (MCPA) annual conference and expo in Roanoke, WV, May 18-20, 2026.

Dempsey is expected to speak about the current state of the steel industry, including its key role in national and economic security. In December 2025, AISI reported steel shipments for 2025 were up 4.9 percent year-over-year since 2024. In 2025, some 90,953,066 net tons were shipped, compared to 86,698,917 net tons in 2024.

Registration for the MCPA conference at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, WV, is now open. To register, visit https://www.metcoalproducers.com/conference.

Kevin Dempsey

Dempsey, who will address conference attendees on May 19, has been with AISI since 2009, previously having served as AISI’s senior vice president of public policy and general counsel. Under Dempsey’s executive leadership, the institute as achieved numerous policy successes, including: maintaining broad bipartisan support for the Section 232 trade remedies to preserve the steel industry’s key role in national and economic security, enacting historic legislation to strengthen trade laws, passing successful infrastructure and clean energy initiatives to benefit the steel industry, advancing the case for steel as the material of choice in the automotive and construction markets and promoting the American steel industry’s global leadership on decarbonization — all of which remain top priorities of AISI and its members today.  

“We look forward to hearing Mr. Dempsey and his thoughts on the state of the steel industry and the continued importance that industry plays in national and economic security,” said MCPA President Ben Beakes. “We all know that Met coal makes steel and we welcome the opportunity to continue to make that important association between the resource our MCPA producer members produce and what it makes possible.”

The MCPA Conference begins May 18 at Stonewall with early registration from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Exhibitors will set up during the same time period. The welcome reception will get underway at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 19, the business session will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 12 noon, followed by golf and clay shooting. Tuesday evening, dinner will get underway at 6:30 p.m. 

The conference will resume Wednesday, May 20 at 8 a.m. and will conclude at 12:30 p.m.   

About MCPA

The Metallurgical Coal Producers Association is a non-profit trade organization comprised of metallurgical coal producers in Appalachia and those who support its producing members’ operations.  The six coal producers are: Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Allegheny Met, Blackhawk Mining, Coronado Global, Ramaco Resources, Inc., Robindale Energy. Together, MCPA members make up the majority of met coal produced in the U.S. Its mission is to advance the opportunities of the metallurgical coal industry through advocacy, education and outreach. Learn more at www.metcoalproducers.com.