3/24/2003

More Work to Come on Coal Truck Bill 

Staff 
Charleston

The coal truck bill is now law but the President of the West Virginia Coal Association says it's going to take a lot more work before the law is actually implemented.

Coal Association President Bill Raney says there are many things that need to be in place before the law can even start to be implemented. He says first there is a lot of engineering analysis to be done. Raney says they must determine which roads are able to handle the increased weight limit and which ones need to be improved.

Raney says the PSC also has an integral part in getting the law off the ground. He says they are in charge of communicating with the shipper and receiver and setting some rules about reporting between the two entities and also about how the law will actually be enforced.

Raney says it will take some time before the law will be implemented but his people are willing to help anyway they can. He says he doesn't think the critics of the new law understand it. Raney says it's probably one of the most comprehensive laws in the country. He says it goes to every aspect of hauling coal. Raney says although it will be difficult and time consuming to pull everything together it will be worth it in the end.

This news story originally provided by AP through The New York Times

Also see: Final Assault, a play by David Selby 

March 24, 2003

Selby to Stage Play About W.Va. Mining

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:24 a.m. ET

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Actor-turned-writer David Selby is returning to his home state of West Virginia to stage his second play, a coal country drama focusing on mountaintop removal strip mining.

The Charleston Stage Company will premiere ``Final Assault'' during six performances beginning April 10 at Capitol Center Theater in Charleston.

Selby, 62, is known for his acting in the TV vampire drama ``Dark Shadows'' and the drama ``Falcon Crest.'' His first stage production was ``Lincoln and James.''

His new play features a woman who has persuaded a court to stop a mining company from moving forward with a mountaintop removal project. She fights against the coal company owner and becomes romantically entwined with a man who works for the owner.

``It is a tough subject,'' Selby says. ``It's a political piece, and I think theater shouldn't shy away from them. The trick is to put them in some sort of personal story so they are palpable.''

Selby's mother was born in a coal town, a grandfather was crippled in the mines, and a great-grandfather died in the explosion at Monongah that killed 361 miners in 1907.

Selby's son, Jamison Selby, will direct the play.

Monday, March 24, 2003 @ 1:18 PM 

***Press release from Governor Wise's press office***

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Gov. Bob Wise today appointed Stephanie R. Timmermeyer as secretary of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

"Stephanie brings a wide variety of experience to this position," Wise said. "She has been acting secretary for the past two months and has demonstrated a unique understanding for the issues affecting DEP."

Timmermeyer most recently served as director of DEP's Division of Air Quality. She also worked as a forester for a public utility and as an environmental consultant.

She graduated from the West Virginia University College of Law, where she served as the National Coal Issue Editor on Law Review.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from WVU and a Masters of Science degree in environmental science from Marshall University.