The Virginia Coal and Energy Alliance has been created by the joining of the Virginia Coal Association, the Eastern Coal Council and the Virginia Mining association, the three announced this week.

The new advocacy alliance, which will be headquartered in Lebanon, will be led by former Eastern Coal Council executive Barbara Altizer. She will serve as the VCEA’s executive director of education and outreach.

VMA executive director John Belcher will serve as the executive director of regulatory affairs.

The group’s mission is to serve as an organisation focused on governmental and regulatory affairs, education and outreach.

“This is something several of the coal operators have been discussing for quite some time and finding a better way to streamline the efforts of the three groups, which sometimes in the past have overlapped, has been a primary focus of this merger,” VCA chairman Robert Litton said.

“We feel that through this merger we can better address the broad array of issues impacting our industry through the more concentrated and unified efforts of one organization.”

Altizer said the joining of the groups will make for a stronger and more unified alliance.

“We will continue to grow our teacher education program in the summer and look forward to hosting our annual legislative reception in Richmond in January, our spring conference in May and next fall, the Coal, Rail Power tour for freshmen legislators,” she said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to work together to expand the audience to hear and better understand the vital importance of coal in not only our local and regional economies, but also our state and national economies.”

Troutman Sanders Strategies will oversee governmental affairs efforts and Brooks Smith and Clark Lewis will serve as the primary organization representatives.

Senior state manager Mike Woods will aid in the steering of the legislative and regulatory advocacy team.

The alliance will issue a combined quarterly magazine and will also implement a dues structure.