Hearing (running time 1 hour, 13 minutes)

Rhoades Co-Chairs General Assembly Coal Conference

HARRISBURG – Realizing the need to shift focus back to Pennsylvania's most abundant natural resource, State Senator James J. Rhoades (R-29) today joined Senate and House members in the formation of a General Assembly Coal Conference, a bipartisan committee emphasizing the continued importance of coal and coal-driven technologies in the Commonwealth.

"As the price of oil continues to hit record highs, and the price of gas continues to hit the pocketbooks of Pennsylvania consumers, we have convened a General Assembly Coal Conference to evaluate and advance the needs of Pennsylvania's coal industry," Rhoades said. "Collaboratively, we can change the dynamic of coal as an energy resource."

In conjunction with the Pennsylvania Coal Association, the Pennsylvania Anthracite Council and the United Mine Workers of America, the newly formed Coal Conference will serve as a forum through which legislators and industry representatives can collaborate on the needs of the coal industry, focus on the utilization and consumption of coal to significantly reduce consumer demands on foreign fuels and highlight new coal technologies within the industry.

"While the Administration has been focusing much time and effort on alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, we can't forget that we are sitting on approximately seventy billion tons of coal here in Pennsylvania," Rhoades said. This Coal Conference will serve as a champion for increased investment in coal and coal-driven technology."

In addition to Rhoades, Coal Conference Co-Chairs include: Senator Richard Kasunic (D-Fayette), Senator John Wozniak (D-Cambria), Representative Ted Harhai (D-Fayette) and Representative Jeff Pyle (R-Indiana).

Also in attendance were Duane Feagley, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Anthracite Council, John Beadle, I&I Engineering, Inc., James Pagnotti, Jeddo Coal Company, George Ellis, PA Coal Association, Sue Germanio, PA Coal Association, Dan Blaschak, Blaschak Coal Corporation, Bobby Burns, Keystone Anthracite Corporation.

In March, Rhoades introduced Senate Resolution 267 urging the Congress to do its part by enacting legislation that would requires greater degrees of transparency in the energy commodities markets. The resolution is the fourth in a series of initiatives Rhoades has introduced to deal with the home heating crisis.