October 23, 2013

Manchin Honored to Receive Annual Achievement Award from Washington Coal Club

Senator Manchin graciously accepts Washington Coal Club’s 2013 Annual Achievement Award

Washington, D.C. – The Washington Coal Club today will present its 2013 Annual Achievement Award to U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). This prestigious award is dedicated to an individual or individuals who have recently made a meaningful contribution to the health and sustainability of the larger coal community. Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Richard A. Bajura, Director of the National Research Center for Coal and Energy at West Virginia University, will also receive awards.

“I humbly express my deepest appreciation to the Washington Coal Club and all of its members for honoring me with the 2013 Annual Achievement award,” Senator Manchin said. “I am proud to join the many other West Virginians who have received this award, including Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, Congressman David McKinley, Congressman Alan Mollohan and the late Senator Robert C. Byrd. The Washington Coal Club is vital to the future of coal production and it is a pleasure to be able to work with the Club so closely on fighting for our coal heritage, our coal industry and our hardworking coal miners.

“Coal produces the electricity that lights our cities and heats our homes, and will continue to be a major source of American energy for at least the next 30 years. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I have worked with my Democrat and Republican colleagues toward an all-of-the-above energy portfolio that accepts coal is, and will be for the foreseeable future, a major part of our energy mix. I look forward to continue working with the Washington Coal Club and its members on fighting for coal.”

“These three award recipients – Senator Manchin, Senator Enzi, and Director Bajura – may come from different backgrounds, coal basins, or even political philosophies, but they all share a common thread of having contributed mightily to the growth and sustainability of the coal industry and the wellbeing of its workforce,” said Rick Axthelm, 2013 Washington Coal Club President. “The Washington Coal Club is pleased to recognize those contributions and proud to call each a coal champion.”

Formalized in 1981, the Washington Coal Club is a Washington, D.C. based not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 300 individuals with diverse interests in coal, ranging from its production to its utilization. Membership includes a wide range of coal interests, from coal producers and transporters, associations focused on coal’s role in the American economy, academics involved in coal-related research, and policy makers from both the executive and legislative branches of government. 

Additional information regarding the Washington Coal Club is available on the Washington Coal Club website: www.washingtoncoalclub.org.

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