LATEST PRESS RELEASES

November 22, 2002
STATEMENT BY NMA PRESIDENT AND CEO JACK N. GERARD ON RELEASE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S NEW SOURCE REVIEW (NSR) GUIDELINES
"The New Source Review (NSR) guidelines released today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicate the Bush administration is committed to moving forward to find ways of bringing clarity and common sense to this important regulatory program."

November 14, 2002
Statement By NMA President and CEO Jack N. Gerard on the Conclusion of Congressional Efforts to Agree on Comprehensive Energy Legislation in the Current Session
"The mining industry is disappointed that Congressional conferees were unable to reach agreement on comprehensive energy legislation, including important clean coal technology provisions, in this session. We continue to believe such legislation is essential for assuring a reliable and abundant supply of domestic energy to meet America's growing economic and national security needs in an environmentally compatible manner."

October 10, 2002
EPA Denied Petition for Uniform Definition of Mining "Overburden," Continuing Mischaracterization of TRI Reported Materials
"NMA is deeply disappointed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has chosen to continue use of an anomalous definition of "overburden" in its Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) regulations. This decision perpetuates an inaccurate characterization of materials that must be reported under TRI and does nothing to advance the public's understanding of toxic chemicals in the environment," said NMA's President Jack Gerard today in response to EPA's most recent action.

September 24, 2002
NMA President Jack Gerard Says Congress Must Act Now to Ensure Nation's Future Energy Needs
National Mining Association (NMA) President Jack Gerard today emphasized, "The United States Congress needs to act now on energy legislation if we're going to meet an expected growth of more than 43 percent in demand for electric power through 2020." In remarks before Energy Summit 2002: Ensuring America's Energy Supply, Gerard noted that coal provides more than 51 percent of our power and will continue to be the largest single component of the nation's electricity supply mix for the foreseeable future.

September 19, 2002
The National Mining Association Sustainable Development Principles
The members of the National Mining Association share a mutual responsibility with all Americans to ensure that our actions meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs. This simple statement defines the concept of sustainable development, a concept that is embraced by the American mining industry and reflected in our operations in the United States and abroad.

September 19, 2002
NMA Elects New Officers and Adopts a Sustainable Development Principles Statement
The National Mining Association (NMA) at its Annual Meeting of Members and Board of Directors in Washington, DC today elected J. Brett Harvey, President and Chief Executive Officer of CONSOL Energy Inc., as Chairman of its Board of Directors. John S. Brinzo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., was elected Vice-Chairman of the Board, and James F. Roberts, President and Chief Executive Officer of RAG American Coal Holding, Inc., was elected Chairman of the Audit and Finance committee.

September 19, 2002
NMA President Gerard Recognizes Members' Aid in Quecreek Rescue
WASHINGTON - National Mining Association President and CEO Jack N. Gerard today presented Spirit of America certificates to six member companies that rushed early technical assistance, equipment and standby mine-rescue teams to help in last summer's successful rescue of miners from the Quecreek Mine in Pennsylvania.

September 19, 2002
Mining's Perfect Safety Records Honored with Federal Awards
WASHINGTON - Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health David Lauriski today presented Sentinels of Safety Awards to the companies that achieved the best of America's perfect safety records in 2001 in eight categories of mining during a ceremony jointly sponsored by the National Mining Association. It was the 76th presentation of the awards.

September 18, 2002
Interior Department Awards Honor Best of All Past, Present Reclamation
WASHINGTON - The Director of the Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining (OSM), Jeff Jarrett, tonight presented Silver Anniversary Excellence in Surface Mining Awards to 12 coal companies that did the best restoration in the past year and the past 25 years.

September 4, 2002
NMA Joins Members of Congress in Recognizing Outstanding Effort at Pennsylvania Mine Rescue
"The National Mining Association and its member companies join Members of Congress in their recognition of the skill, cooperation and determination of all those involved in the rescue of the nine Black Wolf Coal Company miners at the Quecreek Mine on July 27, 2002," NMA President Jack Gerard said today upon the introduction of a House Concurrent Resolution commemorating the event.

August 21, 2002
Mine Safety: Industry trends steadily improve; MSHA and industry warn public to avoid unsafe activities at active, old mine sites
Due in large part to extensive safety training and education, and continued technological advancement, the mining industry has experienced a 60 percent decline in total injuries, and a 42 percent drop in fatalities since 1990, according to Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) data.

August 1, 2002
Silver Anniversary of SMCRA Prompts Coal Performance Review; NMA's Gerard Points Out Sterling Contributions and Achievement
WASHINGTON - NMA President and CEO Jack N. Gerard said the silver anniversary of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) is an important time to note some sterling achievements by the coal industry in reclamation and production.

August 1, 2002
Coal Achievements Under SMCRA
In the 25 years since passage of the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 the coal industry has restored 1.9 million acres of land to productive use and last year provided Americans with energy equal to 10.9 million barrels a day of imported oil.

July 29, 2002
Statement By NMA President and CEO Jack N. Gerard Regarding the Rescue of Nine Miners at the Quecreek Mine near Somerset, Pennsylvania
"The National Mining Association and its member companies join all Americans in rejoicing in the heroic rescue of the nine Black Wolf Coal Company miners at the Quecreek Mine."

June 18, 2002
NMA Deeply Disappointed By Denial of Stay in Valley Fill Case
"We are deeply disappointed by Judge Haden's decision today. Once again, the livelihoods of thousands of hard-working people throughout Central Appalachian have been jeopardized needlessly," said National Mining Association President Jack Gerard.

June 13, 2002
EPA'S New Source Review Recommendations Provide More Reliable and Affordable Electricity
"The recommendations announced today by EPA to improve the Clean Air Act's New Source Review (NSR) requirements have the potential to provide American consumers and businesses with more reliable and affordable electricity while continuing the nation's progress toward cleaner air," NMA President Jack Gerard said today in response to EPA's release of its recommendations for changes to the NSR program.

June 6, 2002
Updated Economic Impact Study And Detailed Scientific Analysis Provide Important Information On Valley Fills Not Considered By Senate Subcommittee
"With expert studies showing properly constructed valley fills are consistent with water quality standards and that nearly 16,000 jobs are at stake if fills are unavailable to surface mining operations, we are deeply disturbed today's Senate hearing focuses on the personal views of a young musician rather than on facts collected by acknowledged experts who have devoted years to the subject ," National Mining Association President Jack Gerard said today. "New data confirming the devastating economic consequences of a court-imposed ban on valley fill permits and a thorough analysis of the available scientific information on their operation provide important findings the Senate should consider."

May 23, 2002
Mining Industry Tri Data Shows On-Site Management Of Naturally Occurring Materials
The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data due to be publicly released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today shows that, overall, mining facility releases for calendar year 2000 are generally lower than for the previous reporting year and are characterized as follows:

May 16, 2002
Statement by National Mining Association President Jack N. Gerard on the Introduction of Mining Law Legislation
"The mining industry supports amendments to the General Mining Law that will provide a fair return to the government on the use of federally owned lands and creation of an abandoned mine land program funded by industry dollars, among other provisions," said NMA President Jack Gerard in response to legislation introduced today by Congressmen Nick Rahall and others. "We've advocated these steps since 1995, when Congress passed a bi-partisan bill addressing these significant issues -- a bill that subsequently was vetoed by President Clinton."

May 9, 2002
Court Decision Threatens More Than 15,000 Jobs in Central Appalachia
"The hardworking and dedicated people of Central Appalachia have once again had their future livelihoods threatened by the most recent ruling issued by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Haden in Huntington, W. V. This is a terrible human tragedy for those who, only last week, felt their jobs finally were secure," National Mining Association President Jack Gerard said today in reaction to the ruling issued yesterday afternoon.

May 2, 2002
American Voters Strongly Support U.S. Minerals and Coal Production According to Nationwide Survey
Seventy-five percent of registered voters think minerals such as coal, zinc, copper and gold found in the United States "play a major role in keeping the economy strong and in maintaining the quality of life we have come to enjoy," according to recent nationwide public opinion research conducted by Market Strategies on behalf of NMA, the National Mining Association.

April 26, 2002
NMA Comments on "Valley Fill" Definition Process
In response to recent media reports regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) preparation of a final rule on the definition of "fill material," the National Mining Association's (NMA) President Jack Gerard said today, "EPA is attempting to end the regulatory confusion that has resulted from differing definitions of "fill material" adopted some years ago by EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers."

April 4, 2002
NMA to Petition for Stay of District Court Ruling and Appeal Decision
The National Mining Association (NMA) today announced it will petition the court for a stay of its ruling pending NMA's appeal of the March 29 ruling by the federal district court in the District of Columbia regarding section 522(e) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA).

March 28, 2002
Significant Appalachian Coal Reserves Remain to Meet Nation's Electricity Needs
Of the 93 billion short tons of original coal reserves in the Appalachian Basin Coal Region, about 66 billion short tons remain according to a new digitized mapping assessment compiled by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and released today. The coal mined in the region is used primarily for electric power generation within the Eastern United States, although some is suitable for metallurgical uses.

February 14, 2002
NMA Supports President Bush's Climate, Multi-Emissions Plans
"The Bush administration's Climate Action Plan and multi-emissions policy will meet environmental objectives while allowing the continued use of clean and affordable coal-based electricity essential for economic growth," Jack N. Gerard, president and chief executive officer of the National Mining Association, said today.

January 25, 2002
A Record Year For Coal Production According to Energy Information Administration Estimates
Recently released Energy Information Administration (EIA) preliminary estimates of coal production in 2001 indicate that last year's production totaled 1.118 billion tons, 4.2 percent above the nearly 1.074 billion tons produced in 2000.

January 10, 2002
Reliance on U.S. Coal Moderated Last Year's Power Disruptions
Increased reliance on coal for electric power limited the reach of last winter's brownouts and moderated the spike in natural gas prices, Thomas H. Altmeyer, senior vice president of the National Mining Association told the 29th West Virginia Coal Symposium here today.