MCPA Wraps Up Annual Conference and ExpoCommunity Impact, Opportunity Dominate Final Day of Discussion

ROANOKE, WV (MAY 21, 2025) – The impact of metallurgical coal on communities and the opportunities it creates -- as well as an overview of manufacturing and the need for steel and increased demand for electricity -- dominated the discussion Tuesday on the final day of the Metallurgical Coal Producers Association (MCPA) annual conference and expo in Roanoke, WV. The theme for this year’s conference was “Community, Opportunity, Impact … Steel!” 

Speakers on Tuesday included Bill Bissett with the West Virginia Manufacturers Association (WVMA); the Honorable Randy Smith, president of the West Virginia Senate; Bill Murray, with Dominion Energy; Dr. John Deskins, with the West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research; and Cathy St. Clair, with the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development (VCEDA).

Bissett kicked off the morning business session, noting the coal industry is one often taken for granted and he reminded conference attendees it is important for the industry to tell its story. He said the need for steel continues to grow and as a result, opportunities continue to grow.

“The connection between steel and coal is obvious,” Bissett said, adding that economic development and energy framework are closely tied together. He highlighted some of the projects ongoing in West Virginia and acknowledged the partnership between MCPA and the WVMA in working together on a legislative level to advocate for commonsense policies.

Smith began his remarks by noting he was more than just a friend of coal, adding, “I was coal.”

Smith worked for 44 years in the industry from the age of 19 and recently retired. He recounted some of his experiences as a miner.

“There is a brotherhood among coal miners that is hard to explain,” Smith said. “We live in the greatest country in the world. I went into the coal industry where I had one of the best paying jobs around. If I was to start my life over, I would do the same thing. I worked with some of the greatest people that walk this earth. I was never ashamed of being a coal miner. It’s the reason I ran for office. I will always be a pro-coal legislator.”

Murray talked about the increasing demand for electricity, tying it to the need for steel. For the past 15-18 years, he said demand has been flat, but now, he said trends have changed and the demand for electricity is doubling every 11 to 14 years.

Demand he said continues to grow as more housing, more manufacturing, more merchant ship building, more warship building, more munitions plants, more data centers, more AI and more cyber security initiatives are built and come on line.

The need for all of the above when it comes to energy sources, he said, is more true now than ever.

“There is no source of electrons that we don’t need,” he said. “24-7-365 the electricity grid has to be ready to go and the fact is, American steel is needed for all electricity production. This is a rapid energy growth era. Thank you for what you do.”

Deskins provided conference attendees with an overview of the impact the coal industry has in West Virginia, citing facts from a 2019 study, noting the numbers could be adjusted for inflation by multiplying by 1.25 to come up with an accurate estimate for industry impact in 2025.

He noted the impact of the industry extends beyond direct employment and investment to include indirect and induced employment through suppliers and service industries.

In the coal industry in West Virginia, Deskins said 62.7 percent of the jobs are in Met coal production, with the remainder in thermal coal production. He said the industry overall has a $4.2 billion direct spend and $5.4 billion in indirect and induced spend which in turn supports 29,600 jobs, creates $2.5 billion in labor income and $544.9 million in U.S., state and local tax revenues.

Deskins noted statistics show 80,000 jobs in steel mills are supported by West Virginia coal production. He said 11.6 million short tons of Met coal are produced in Virginia and used for the manufacture of steel. The combined impact of Met coal and steel production, he added creates 577,500 jobs; $41.9 billion in labor income; and some $6 billion in combined tax revenues.

St. Clair gave conference attendees an overview of VCEDA, a regional economic development authority created by Virginia’s General Assembly in 1988 specifically to help enhance and diversify the economy in the coalfield region of Southwest Virginia. The organization utilizes a portion of the coal severance tax funds paid by coal and gas operators in the state to help fund the diversification projects it has funded through the years.

“Coal makes opportunities for other industries,” St. Clair said, pointing to a sampling of companies which have been recruited to the region in part due to VCEDA’s efforts. “Each illustrate the coal industry’s impact in the community since it was the severance taxes paid by industry that helped to make these projects possible.”

She also highlighted some of the key findings in a 2025 study conducted by Chmura Economics & Analytics on VCEDA and the coal and gas industries. The study may be found at www.vceda.us under the resources tab.

According to the Chmura study, the total annual economic impact of VCEDA in Virginia was estimated at $12.8 billion, supporting 53,051 jobs in 2024. The study also found VCEDA had helped to significantly diversify the region’s economy and to considerably reduce the region’s unemployment rate to 3.9 percent (within 1 percent of the state’s rate). Without VCEDA, Chmura estimated the region’s unemployment rate would be 15.8 percent.

Specific to the coal industry, St. Clair noted the Chmura study found the estimated total economic impact of the coal industry in Virginia was $2 billion, supporting 6,372 jobs – 5,085 of which were in Southwest Virginia. Tax revenues generated by the coal industry include $29 million for Virginia; $37 million for local Southwest Virginia governments; and $43.4 million in federal income taxes.

The natural gas industry in Virginia, which is predominantly coalbed methane and coal mine methane prosecution, had a total impact of $772 million in Virginia supporting 2,368 jobs.

“The bottom line is that coal, natural gas and VCEDA create a great team which has vastly improved the economy in Southwest Virginia,” St. Clair concluded.

On Monday, conference attendees heard from MCPA coal producer members, including Andy Edison, Alpha Metallurgical Resources; Charlie Bearse, Blackhawk Mining, LLC; J.P. Richardson, United Coal Company LLC (a subsidiary of Metinvest Group); Scott Kreutzer, RAMACO Resources, Inc.; and Chris Anderson, Robindale Energy, who led a panel discussion, addressing topics including current markets and community impact.

Ernie Thrasher, founder, president and CEO of Xcoal Energy & Resources, spoke about some of the market uncertainties on a geopolitical level and the potential for positive influences on the domestic coal market due to the current administration’s policies to support coal.

Conference attendees also heard from West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCluskey who said changes in the way coal is viewed by the federal government have resulted in the industry and its employees being told that what they do matters.

The final panel Monday looked at environmental issues. Brooks Smith with Troutman Pepper Locke moderated the session. Panelists were Randy Moore, with Virginia Energy; and Jonathan Rohrer with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

MCPA President Ben Beakes closed the conference noting dates for the 2026 event will be announced soon and reminding all to “Remember, Met Coal Makes Steel!”

ABOUT THE MCPA: The Metallurgical Coal Producers Association (MCPA) is a regional association of leading U.S. metallurgical (met) coal producers in Appalachia. MCPA producing members account for more than half of the met coal produced in the United States. Its members employ 10,000 miners and support staff at 95 different mines in four states – Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  The MCPA strives to educate the policymakers and the public that Met Coal Makes Steel and advocates for the opportunities within the met coal industry.