Kevin Dempsey, president of American Iron and Steel Institute, to serve as a keynote speaker
Grundy, Va. and Charleston, W.Va.: The Metallurgical Coal Producers Association (MCPA) will host its 42nd Annual Conference at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia on September 26 -28. This year’s conference is the first since the association, formerly known as the Virginia Coal and Energy Alliance, rebranded as the Metallurgical Coal Producers Association and expanded its focus to include both Southwest Virginia and West Virginia.
“The MCPA and our producing members are excited to host this year’s annual conference. Attendees will learn about the future of our industry associated with steel-making coal, or metallurgical coal,” said Ben Beakes, president of the MCPA. “Our conference is timely considering talks in Washington, D.C. surrounding our nation’s critical infrastructure needs. We cannot have infrastructure without steel, and we cannot have steel without metallurgical coal.”
To highlight the close ties between infrastructure, steel and metallurgical coal, Kevin Dempsey, president and chief executive officer of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), will serve as one of the keynote speakers for the conference. “AISI values our supply-chain partners, including the members of the MCPA,” Dempsey said. “Metallurgical coal is critical to the production of steel. We hope our participation in events such as these will strengthen our strategic alliance as our nation’s leaders contemplate policies that will affect our industries for many years.”
Dempsey previously served as Senior Vice President of Public Policy and General Counsel to the Institute. Before joining AISI, Dempsey was a partner at Dewey & LeBoeuf, a global law firm where he focused much of his work on international trade for the steel industry. Dempsey also previously served as counsel to Senator John C. Danforth (R-MO) and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Dempsey received his Juris Doctor Degree from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington University in St. Louis.
Other speakers will include top executives from MCPA producing members, coal and steel industry market experts, political leaders, and more. Visit www.metcoalproducers.com/events for more information and to register for the annual conference.
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About MCPA
The Metallurgical Coal Producers Association is a non-profit trade organization made up of metallurgical coal producers in Central Appalachia and those who support our producing members’ operations. The four coal producers are: Alpha Metallurgical Resources (formerly Contura Energy)., Coronado Coal LLC, United Coal Company LLC (a subsidiary of Metinvest Group), and RAMACO Resources, Inc. Its mission is to advance the opportunities of the metallurgical coal industry through advocacy, education, and outreach primarily in Virginia and West Virginia.