Tuesday, February 11, 2025

4:30 pm
Registration and Welcome Cocktail Reception (Available for sponsorship)

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

7:30 am
Registration and Networking Breakfast

8:30 am
Welcome and Opening Remarks

Emily Arthun, Chief Executive Officer, American Coal Council


8:45 am
Keynote Address – US Federal Landscape: Initiatives for the U.S. coal industry

How will the new administration acknowledge coal in the overall energy mix which include priorities to address reliability of the network, the use of domestic resources and the labor market.

Michael D. Day will speak to the future of the coal industry in America and what U.S. leaders need to do to ensure an energy future that delivers baseload power, especially from coal. Mr Day will also announce a call to action to the industry; and how the next few years the industry must deliver a positive and robust message to the nation.

Session Chair:  Emily Arthun, Chief Executive Officer, American Coal Council
Keynote Speaker: Michael D. Day, Eagle Specialty Materials LLC – Chief Executive, Officer and a member of the Board of Advisors


9:30 am
Session 1 | Regulatory and Legislative Affairs

Now more than ever, regulations affecting how coal is produced, sold, transported and used are evolving rapidly. The implications of these actions will determine the economic prospects for the global coal industry. What may appear to be positive news oftentimes has other unseen effects. 
For coal producers in the US, changes in regulations are seen as a net positive in terms of permitting and operating coal mines as well as using coal for its thermal or metallurgical properties. However, less regulation for other fossil fuels might offset some of the gains for coal. This detailed session will look at what is proposed and what it means for the future of coal.

Session Chair: Lorali Simon, VP External Affairs, Usibelli Coal Mine
Speakers: Michelle Bloodworth, President and Chief Executive Officer, America’s Power
Richard M. Russell, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and Political Affairs, National Mining Association
Adam D. Anderson, Chief Executive Office & General Manager, Western Fuels

 


11:00 am
Networking Break | Sponsored by Capes Shipping Agencies

Capes Shipping Agencies


11:30 am
Session 2 | Domestic & International Thermal Coal Markets

The changing regulatory environment will have a significant impact on coal-powered electricity generation – at least for the next four years. Combined with increasing demand for electric power, it now appears that the existing coal fleet will become increasingly critical in meeting growing demand. 
This session will present an overview of the near-term forecast for both domestic and international thermal coal as well as an evaluation of competing sources of power generation, especially natural gas.

Session Chair: Steve Read, President Global Coal Sales Group, LLC
Speakers: Andrew Blumenfeld, Data Analytics Director, McCloskey by OPIS
Andrew Bradford, Senior Vice President Energy, FactSet Research Systems Inc.
John Moura, Director of Reliability Assessment and Performance Analysis, NERC
Takatoshi Yamamoto, Deputy Director, Coal Policy Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry
Kristin Hansen, General Director Coal, BNSF Railway


1:00 pm
Attendee Networking Block (No activities scheduled)

5:00 pm 
Networking Reception 

 

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Thursday, February 13, 2025

7:30 am
Registration and Networking Breakfast 

8:30 am
Welcome Remarks and Keynote Address – Expectations for the 2025 coal markets in an uncertain geopolitical environment

Evolving international conflicts, inflationary pressures and international immigration policies are all affecting international coal trade either directly or on the margins. Sorting through all the impacts creates numerous scenarios which could force companies to make rapid strategic changes to adopt. Will this be a net positive or negative for coal trade?

Session Chair: Jared Griffith, Vice President Sales, Alliance Coal LLC
Keynote Speaker: Ernie Thrasher, founder, CEO and chief marketing officer Xcoal Energy and Resources


9:15 am
Session 3 | Domestic & International Metallurgical Coal: How is the coal industry responding to future trends?

This critical session features an outlook for supply and demand for global metallurgical coal with an emphasis on transforming geopolitics, especially given the change in administration in the United States. Increasing protectionism as well as diverging plans for environmental regulation are creating conflicting goals that confuse and increase risk for metallurgical coal market participants – what does the future hold?

Session Chair: William (Bill) McFadden, Owner, Deep Creek Resources LLC
Speakers: Matt Latimore, Founder & President, M Resources
Brad Yeatts, Group Vice President – Coal, Norfolk Southern
Caleb Dorsey, Group Vice President, Ocean Solutions Dry
Andrew Hampton, Vice President, International Sales, Blackhawk LLC


10:30 am
Networking Break | Sponsored by Sampling Associates International 


11:00 am
Beachside Chat – Legal and Political Dynamics for the Coal Industry – The Good, The Bad, and The Opportunity

A look at pending and recent legal decisions that are changing the dynamics for coal permitting, mining and sales across the country. Additionally, what will the new political environment in Washington mean for policy reforms to address both inconsistencies and uncertainties that affect coal producers and consumers.

Session Chair: Bryan Zumwalt, Founding Partner – Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC
Speakers: Chris Marklund, Deputy Staff Director – U.S. House Natural Resources Committee (for Chairman Bruce Westerman – U.S. Congressman from the 4th District of Arkansas)
Jon Heroux, Corporate Counsel for External Affairs, Westmoreland Mining LLC
Brittany Bolen, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP


12:00 pm
Networking Luncheon 

1:30 pm
Special Presentation – Christian Appalachian Project

Session Chair: Steve Read, President, Global Coal Sales Group LLC
Speakers: Phyllis Caudill, Christian Appalachian Project
Brandy Calvert, Christian Appalachian Project


1:45 pm
Session 4 – Keynote Address – The Future of Coal 

The future of the coal industry will be driven by innovation, whether technology for power generation, advanced steel production, and new products using coal as a feedstock. Ramaco Resources has been an innovator with aggressive research and development of critical materials from coal including advanced carbon products and rare earth elements needed for the next generation of computing. Coal is a valuable resource and its future is more than creating kilowatts.

Session Chair: B. Scott Spears, CPA Executive Vice President – Planning, Analysis & External Reporting, Ramaco
Speaker: Randall W. Atkins, Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Ramaco


2:30 pm
Session 5 | Innovation & Technology in the Coal Industry 

What innovations in technology and artificial intelligence might be just around the corner; how could the coal industry benefit in the short, medium and long term? Research is ongoing at the National Energy Technology Laboratories and the private sector. This session looks to explore some of the areas of research for using coal to solve some of the more vexing problems and perhaps what it means for the future market for coal.

Session Chair: Kelli Sweet, Director – Coal, Union Pacific Railroad
Speakers: Lori Read, Co-founder Pinnacle Genie
Max Ukropina, Project Development, Valar Atomics
Peter Balash, Ph.D., Associate Director, Strategic Systems Analysis and Engineering, National Energy Technology Laboratory, DOE


3:45 pm
Closing Remarks | Forum Concludes

Summary of some of the leading topics from the sessions as well as broader thoughts on the coal markets; critiques, complements and additional concepts will be referenced to consider.

Andrew Blumenfeld, Data Analytics Director, McCloskey by OPIS

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