September 4, 2026 - West Virginia Coal Association President and CEO Chris Hamilton responds to a Gazette column criticizing Friends of Coal and the coal industry. Hamilton says the column disregards the miners, supervisors, operators and thousands of West Virginians whose work supports mining, preparation, construction and transportation.

To The “Charleston Gazette” Editor:

Phil Kabler’s weekend column, “Friends of Coal aren’t friends of miners,” is an affront to every miner, mine supervisor and mine operator, as well as the 50,000 West Virginians who show up at a mine site every day to contribute to the production, construction, preparation or transportation phases of mining. Its sweeping portrayal of the industry disregards the commitment, professionalism and personal responsibility demonstrated daily by the people who make West Virginia mining possible.

Providing for worker safety and maintaining a healthy, safe mine environment are daily, nonnegotiable priorities – paramount to every other goal or objective. Mine safety is also a shared responsibility among every person at the mine level, from management and supervisors to miners and contractors. West Virginia’s mining industry proudly stands behind its mine-safety performance record, which reflects the deployment of state-of-the-art mine-safety and extractive technologies, advanced training programs, effective communications and teamwork.

No one in the coal industry dismisses the tragedy of mine accidents, the reality of occupational disease or the importance of rigorous enforcement. West Virginia’s coal families have experienced those losses firsthand. Our miners are not abstractions to the people who operate, manage and work alongside them. They are our coworkers, neighbors, friends and family members. Their safety is not merely a regulatory obligation; it is the foundation of every responsible mining operation.

The suggestion that the industry’s goal is to produce coal “as cheaply as possible,” even by bending or breaking health, safety and environmental rules, ignores both the reality of modern mining and the record of the people who work in it. Today’s coal operations invest heavily in ventilation, dust monitoring, personal protective equipment, training, engineering controls, communications systems, rescue preparedness and other safety measures. Operators must comply with extensive federal and state requirements, undergo regular inspections, and work under a system in which violations carry serious consequences.

That does not mean the industry believes the work is finished. It never is. Safety requires constant attention, continued research, new technology and a willingness by everyone – companies, regulators, labor, equipment manufacturers and miners themselves – to improve. West Virginia coal producers support practical, science-based measures that protect miners while allowing mines to operate and preserve the jobs upon which so many communities depend.

The current debate about respirable silica deserves that same seriousness. Coal operators agree that exposure to dangerous levels of silica dust must be prevented. The question is not whether miners should be protected; they should, and they must be. The question is whether any rule is technically achievable, consistently enforceable and based on sound science, so that it improves conditions in real mines rather than creating confusion, contradictory requirements or avoidable disruptions that put miners’ jobs at risk without advancing safety. Raising legitimate implementation concerns is not evidence that an industry values profits over people. It is part of the process of ensuring that regulations work as intended.

It is also wrong to imply that support for coal is somehow incompatible with support for coal miners and their families. Coal remains central to West Virginia’s economy, to reliable and affordable electricity, and to the livelihoods of communities that have powered this country for generations. Being a “Friend of Coal” means standing with the miners who produce it, the families whose incomes depend on it, and the towns that rely on a strong coal economy. It means advocating for policies that protect jobs, preserve domestic energy security and maintain the tax base that supports schools, roads, emergency services and local government.

The coal industry should be judged fairly: by the conduct of individual operators, by its ongoing safety performance, and by its willingness to meet its obligations – not by an outdated caricature that treats an entire industry and its workforce as indifferent to human life. West Virginia miners deserve better than that. They deserve respect for the difficult work they do, appreciation for the essential role they play, and policies that protect boththeir health and their ability to earn a living.