Initiatives

Green Miner Award
As Central Appalachia's largest coal company, we take our commitment to improving the environment seriously. To encourage our members to focus their efforts on improving the company's environmental performance, we created the Green Miner Award, which recognizes the Massey mining operation that best exemplifies our commitment to improving the total environment. Established in 2005, the award is the most highly coveted environmental award at Massey.

Our 2007 award winner, Logan County Mine Services, was successful in achieving a 70% reduction in citations received by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

Validating our commitment to improving the environment for future generations, Massey has received numerous awards from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the West Virginia Coal Association, the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, and the Society of American Foresters.

At Massey, we believe environmental stewardship is the responsibility of every member.

Coal Transportation Belt System
As part of our corporate commitment to protect the environment, Massey has invested millions of dollars to design and build approximately 340 miles of beltlines at our facilities in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. Every mile coal is carried on these beltlines means one less mile of transport by truck, saving on fuel and highway travel.

While trucks must be used in some circumstances to transport coal, our beltline infrastructure is a long-term, environmentally prudent investment to deliver coal from the mine safely, quickly and with minimal environmental impact. Massey's Mammoth Resource Group in Kanawha County, West Virginia, is constructing a major belt and loadout expansion to further automate coal shipments, enabling the transfer of coal entirely by belt at this existing plant.

Environmental Assurance Group
Every month, a group of more than 30 Massey members with key environmental responsibilities gather, often at a mining site, to review current environmental issues. The Environmental Assurance Group, comprised of engineers, technicians and specialists from every resource group, strengthens the company’s environmental efforts by improving the flow of communication. During the meetings, any environmental violation in the past month is thoroughly examined and discussed. New treatment technologies and ideas are analyzed and shared by the group’s geologists, foresters and engineers. The group is also tasked with the upkeep and advancement of Massey's Environmental Assurance Manual – our internal handbook on best management standards and practices. All environmental issues are covered in the manual, including permits, audits, slurry system design and inspection schedules for equipment wear.

Protecting the Little Coal River
Massey Energy is also spearheading a number of environmental projects on the Little Coal River to improve fish habitats, reduce erosion and sediment build-up, and increase public use of recreational facilities. We will sponsor 20 improvement projects over the next two years on the Little Coal River, where 200 riverfront acres have been preserved and protected by Massey from future development.