Alabama lawmakers react to President Obama’s rejection of Keystone XL pipeline
Alabama lawmakers are reacting to President Barack Obama‘s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline after a lengthy seven-year State Department review of the controversial project. Obama’s denied the 1,179-mile pipeline that would have carried 800,000 barrels a day of petroleum from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast Friday afternoon citing concerns about its impact on the climate. “America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change, and frankly, approving this project would have undercut that leadership,” Obama explained. The entire Alabama Congressional delegation — including lone Democrat U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) — voted for Keystone. Here’s what the Alabama lawmakers have to say about Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline: U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby via Facebook: Unsurprisingly, President Obama rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline today. Keystone would create jobs and decrease energy bills for American families while boosting our nation’s energy independence. The rejection of this job-creating project stands as further proof that this Administration is more concerned with playing partisan politics than improving our economy. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01): It is disappointing, but not surprising, that President Obama has decided to put the views of radical environmentalists over what’s in the best interest of the American people. The Keystone Pipeline project would create thousands of jobs, and it is a shame the President won’t allow it to move forward. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03): With the rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Obama Administration once again stands in the way of job creation. With instability in the Middle East, North American energy is exactly what this country needs, but instead Obama’s policy agenda includes rejection of both reliable energy and American jobs. I am extremely disappointed, but not surprised, that this Administration is playing politics with our country’s economy.
Yeas and Nays – How the Alabama delegation voted this week: 11/06/15
Here’s a look at how the Alabama delegation voted on major issues this week in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate: House votes H.R. 22: the Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act/aka the Drive Act. The bill represents a combination of the Senate-passed long-term highway bill (the DRIVE Act) with language reported out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. This bill reauthorizes federal highway, mass transit and safety programs for six years, through fiscal 2021, mostly at current levels – but it covers Highway Trust Fund shortfalls to provide full program funding for only the first three years. The House considered numerous amendments to the legislation culminating in a final “wrap up” vote to combine the legislation and amendments as well as a vote on a motion to go to conference with the Senate in order to produce a final bill. On the final “wrap up” vote, Passed the House: 363-64. Yea: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) Nay: Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) On the motion to go to conference, Passed the House: 371-54. Yea: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) Nay: Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) S. 1356, the revised National Defense Authorization (NDAA) Conference Agreement for FY 2016. The bill authorizes $599 billion for the Pentagon and defense-related programs for FY 2016, $5 billion less than both the president’s overall request and the original conference agreement. The president vetoed the original agreement on Oct. 22, objecting to its $38 billion in base defense funding in the uncapped Overseas Contingency Operations account. Passed the House 370-58. Yea: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) Nay: Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) Senate votes S.1140: Federal Water Quality Protection Act. Clean Water Act Dispute: The Senate voted to invoke cloture to advance the GOP bill that would kill a new Environmental Protection Agency rule giving Clean Water Act protection to waters such as wetlands and tributaries that are upstream of navigable waters. A yes vote was to advance S.1140 to full debate. Failed the Senate, 57-41. Yea: Sen. Jeff Sessions; Sen. Richard Shelby Nay: N/A Key votes ahead In the week of Nov. 9 – Nov. 13 , the House will be in Veterans Day recess, while the Senate will continue to debate fiscal 2016 military spending.
Martha Roby: Fighting for Alabama agriculture
As the Representative for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, I believe my first job is to listen to those I represent and work on their behalf in Congress. That’s why before each vote I take, I first ask, “How are the people I represent affected?” And for me, the district’s and Alabama’s interests will always come first. The 2015 budget deal did not put Alabama’s interests first in a number of ways, and that’s why I voted no. There were several reasons I could not support this deal that was passed by the House and Senate. To name a few, the top-down process by which the bill was conceived was all wrong, and I believe we could have charted a much stronger fiscal course. But, more specifically, I could not support the budget deal because of the way it broke faith with the agricultural community and gutted the crop insurance program by $3 billion. As someone who worked hard back in 2012 and 2013 to pass a good, conservative Farm Bill that actually saves money, I remember what a big deal it was when we ended direct farm payments and moved to a more conservative, sustainable crop insurance program. It was a needed reform, but it only worked because the agricultural community knew it could count on a reliable risk management program to keep an otherwise volatile industry stable. Not everyone I work with in Congress represents a district with such a large agricultural footprint. What I try to explain to them is that when you mess around with the crop insurance program, you aren’t just affecting farmers who put the seed in the ground. You’re affecting the ones who sell the seed, who build the equipment to cultivate and harvest the crop, and those who help process the goods into their final products. That farming dollar turns over many times, and there is an entire agriculture supply chain that is affected by farm policies set by Congress. To come in and change the rules in the middle of the game is unfair, and I won’t stand for it. Now the focus goes to fixing the problem. I have co-sponsored the Crop Insurance Restoration Act authored by my colleague Rep. David Young of Iowa to undo this irresponsible action. I’m also looking forward to working alongside with Rep. Robert Aderholt, my fellow Alabamian and chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, to ensure proper crop insurance levels are restored on the Appropriations side. Remember you can always follow this and other important issues on my Facebook page and website, roby.house.gov. Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She is in her third term.
Terry Dunn qualifies in Alabama PSC race against President Twinkle Cavanaugh
Former Public Service Commission member Terry Dunn made good on his vow to run against Commission President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh as qualifying ends Friday at 5 p.m. The 11th-hour move was confirmed by the Alabama Republican Party’s Reed Phillips by phone Friday afternoon. The former commissioner has been called a “closet liberal in league with environmentalists” from some quarters, and is likely to be opposed heavily by state-backed utilities like Alabama Power. Dunn has filed to challenge Cavanaugh, first elected in 2010, in the state’s Republican primary elections. It was reported as recently as Wednesday that no one would challenge Cavanaugh. Dunn originally filed for the race in August, but then dropped out on October 26 citing concerns that the utilities would spend “a lot of money” to defeat his bid to return to the commission. During his time on the commission, Dunn received political pushback for advocating formal rate hearings for Alabama Power, something opposed by fellow commissioners Cavanaugh and Jeremy Oden. Dunn echoed the call of environmental groups and the AARP in that effort, which opponents feared would create a “judicial setting” requiring all testifiers to retain attorneys. In lieu, several informal hearings were held throughout the state in 2013. Dunn’s chief of staff David Roundtree has also been criticized among conservatives for perceived stances against the coal industry, which employs thousands of Alabamians. The pro-coal group Coal Jobs Count released a video back in April lumping in Dunn with President Barack Obama, an exceedingly unpopular figure in Alabama. The video features coal miner John Box telling Dunn, “If you really care about jobs, get out of the way,” in response to a bill proposed by Dunn to ban commissioners from accepting contributions from the industry. The primaries are set for March 1, 2016 as part of Alabama’s new alignment with the so-called “SEC primary,” by which a new bloc of Southern states is banding together to increase their importance in national elections. The following post was made by Dunn on his personal Facebook page yesterday, foreshadowing a run: Dunn could not be contacted for comment at press time.
GOP candidate Ben Carson backs off West Point scholarship claim
Republican White House hopeful Ben Carson was not offered a formal scholarship to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as he wrote in his autobiography, his campaign said Friday. Carson, a newcomer to national politics, has developed a passionate following based in part on an inspirational personal story and devotion to Christian values. The only African-American in the Republican 2016 class, Carson grew up in inner-city Detroit and often speaks about his brushes with violence and poverty during his early years. His campaign on Friday sought to clarify a statement in his breakout book, “Gifted Hands,” in which he outlines his participation with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, commonly known as ROTC, while in high school. “I was offered a full scholarship to West Point,” Carson wrote in the 1996 book. “I didn’t refuse the scholarship outright, but I let them know that a military career wasn’t where I saw myself going. As overjoyed as I felt to be offered such a scholarship, I wasn’t really tempted.” Campaign spokesman Doug Watts said Carson was “the top ROTC student in the city of Detroit” and “was introduced to folks from West Point by his ROTC supervisors.” “They told him they could help him get an appointment based on his grades and performance in ROTC. He considered it but in the end did not seek admission,” Watts said. Students granted admission to West Point are said to earn appointments to the military academy, which comes with tuition, room and board and expenses fully paid, in exchange for five years of service in the Army after graduation. A West Point spokesman on Friday said the academy “cannot confirm whether anyone during that time period was nominated to West Point if they chose not to pursue completion of the application process.” The story was first reported on Friday by Politico. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Lineville Sen. Gerald Dial comes out in favor of governor’s gambling move
A long-serving Montgomery lawmaker, Sen. Gerald Dial of the 13th District, announced his support of a recent move by Gov. Robert Bentley to devolve the state’s authority over anti-gambling laws to local county authorities. Bentley executed the change by way of an executive order issued Thursday, the 13th of his five years in office. “I commend Governor Bentley on taking this action,” said Dial, a 10-term legislator from Lineville. “At a time when the state is closing state parks, driver’s license offices, and other programs important to taxpayers, it is foolish to spend another penny on the bingo issue.” Dial’s proclamation of support comes after other groups, including the pro-business Alabama Jobs Foundation, have similarly praised Bentley’s decision to revoke another order he issued back in 2011, which disbanded the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling and remanded power over anti-gambling provisions to the state attorney general’s office. “The courts have ruled and this issue is now resolved. Governor Bentley’s action will further clear the air and ensure that the law is followed and that everyone is treated fairly. Also, it will mean more jobs for an area of the state the badly needs them.” Gambling has been a hot-button issue in Alabama of late. The state is one of a few in the nation that has no state lottery, and whose conservative leaders have by and large opposed gaming expansion on moral grounds. That’s beginning to change, as the endorsements of Dial and the AJF seem to augur. “The Alabama Jobs Foundation will continue to fully support passage of the Constitutional Amendment proposed by Senator Del Marsh that will further regulate gaming, generate over 400 million dollars annually, provide over 11,000 new jobs and have a statewide economic impact of over 1.2 billion dollars,” the Alabama Jobs Foundation said in a prepared statement regarding Executive Order 13 on Thursday. The move, many believe, would ease the way for a broader comprehensive legislative proposal to expand casino gaming in Alabama, removing an executive branch roadblock.
Enroll Alabama group to hold “Obamacare” assistance events Saturday
A group dedicated to making sure Alabamian residents get the most of the federal Affordable Care Act, called Enroll Alabama, is holding events in Birmingham and around the state to help create an “enroll tide” of new Obamacare sign-ups. The group is holding not one but two Bham events on Saturday, in the western and eastern parts of the city respectively, as well as one in Selma. “Starting October 1st, over 300,000 Alabamians will be eligible to enroll in the health insurance marketplace,” reads the group’s Facebook page, founded and run by so-called ACA “navigators” who are authorized under the 2010 federal health care law to contract with governments in order to help boost enrollment among the uninsured by explaining the law and assisting with paperwork. “People will need help to understand what it all means. That’s why we are here.” The Birmingham West event is set to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, while the Birmingham East event is slated for the same time frame at the city’s Don Hawkins Recreation Center, at 8920 Roebuck Blvd. The Selma enrollment-a-thon will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library‘s main library, at 1103 Selma Ave. Enroll Alabama will also host events throughout the week for those with kids in school or who work on the weekends. You can catch them in Huntsville on Monday, Muscle Shoals Tuesday, Athens on Thursday, or again in Huntsville on Nov. 14. Find out more about Enroll Alabama on their on social media via Twitter or Facebook.
Coal miners rally to save Christmas for families of laid-off workers
A group of Alabama coal miners are creating a toy drive in order to “save Christmas” for the families of recently laid-off workers as economic changes come ahead of the holiday season. One group called “Adopt a Steel Worker/Coal Miner’s Family” is lining up support in order to make sure no local families take a hit from federal energy rules or receives a “lump of coal” for the holidays. “Seeing as Christmas is right around the corner, my hope is that we can come together as a community and help those affected to not feel the strain quite so much this holiday season,” reads the group’s Facebook page description. “Whether it’s donating gifts for children, money for the families, or some other type of help, I believe it can be a blessing to these families. If anyone has any ideas, please shoot me a message,” the group says. Stephanie Tingle, the Brookwood wife of a coal miner affected by recent layoffs by Walter Energy, is also helping via a “GoFundMe” campaign for other families in a similar position. On her campaign page, she described a meeting between workers and management before the firings that set her campaign in motion. “We went to a company and union meeting and as I watched the men in the latest layoff, which amounted to 266 workers, I began to cry as I watched these men clean their lockers with a look of defeat on their faces. During the meeting the [union] field Rep mentioned finding ways to aid the families of these laid off workers during Christmas,” Tingle wrote. “When I first learned of my husband being laid off all I could think of was my house, my car, my current lifestyle and how all that would change. That meeting changed my perspective. These children of these workers may not have a Christmas,” she wrote. “My husband and I don’t have any children but that doesn’t stop me from thinking about them especially during the holiday season. “A few guys offered to help sponsor a child and I wanted to grow that idea as best as possible. I want to give back because as wonderful as Christmas was for me personally growing up, I would never want to see a child suffer through the holidays.” You can donate to Stephanie’s crowd-funding page here. She says the goal of the group is to maximize the good that donations can do by pooling resources. “Every single penny is strictly for Christmas for the children of these men who unfortunately were laid off during the holiday season. I plan to purchase as many toys and/or bikes as I can make stretch with any money I can raise to help these men, women and their children,” wrote Tingle. Below, you can also see the details of a local upcoming toy drive in Brookwood Park, outside of Birmingham, where the Tingles’ efforts began.
Hillary Clinton targeted in ad from group tied to Koch brothers
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday makes her first appearance in a negative advertisement funded by the wealthy Republican donors tied to billionaires Charles and David Koch. A 30-second ad aimed at Internet users in South Carolina and Florida shows headlines about the number of veterans who have died while awaiting health care. Then it shows a recent MSNBC interview with Clinton, who said of problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, “It’s not been widespread as it has been made out to be.” “Not widespread?” text in the ad says. “Our veterans deserve better.” The digital ad, backed by at least $100,000 from Concerned Veterans for America, a nonprofit group that does not identify its donors, is timed to run as Clinton participates in a Democratic candidate forum in South Carolina. Clinton is “completely out of touch” with VA issues, which are “inarguably widespread,” Dan Caldwell, a spokesman for Concerned Veterans for America, told The Associated Press on Thursday. After Republicans criticized her remarks in the MSNBC interview, Clinton’s campaign said she was “outraged” by VA delays in providing care. Concerned Veterans for America is one of a half-dozen political and policy groups funded by the Kochs and hundreds of like-minded donors. That network is poised to spend a generous portion of at least $750 million over this year and next on issues relevant to the presidential race. The ad marks the first major paid media effort by a Koch group to ding Clinton’s 2016 candidacy. As she gains steam in a three-candidate Democratic primary, while the Republican nominating process is far from settled, GOP groups are beginning their Clinton attack efforts. The veterans ad follows a television commercial a week ago by a political group called Future 45. That ad focused on Clinton’s work as secretary of state, particularly in Libya, concluding with a narrator saying: “Responsible for a disaster. More threats. More war.” Although the group spent only about $65,000 airing the spot a few times, according to Kantar Media’s CMAG ad tracker, there are signs that more Clinton attacks are on the way. On Monday at a New York fundraiser for Republican opposition group America Rising, headlined by 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, donors were encouraged to support Future 45, an attendee told the AP. The attendee was not authorized to share details from the private event and requested anonymity. Republican hedge-fund billionaires Paul Singer of New York and Kenneth Griffin of Chicago are among those who have already written six-figure checks to Future 45, a fundraising report filed in July shows. The group’s name references the 45th president, who will be elected next November. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Jeb Bush: Voters will ‘adjust their thinking’ as primaries near
There’s been a little more shouting this week from Jeb Bush, and a little more salty language, too, as the Republican candidate for president tries to reboot a campaign that’s fallen from front-running to middle of the pack. But what hasn’t changed is the message. And, Bush says, it won’t. In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, the former Florida governor said he’s convinced the anger with politics and desire for an outsider that’s made front-runners of Donald Trump and Ben Carson will fade. He sticking with his belief that by the time primary voting begins in a little more than 90 days, the frustration that’s driving today’s preference polls will evolve into pragmatism at the ballot. “You have to paint a picture that’s significantly better than what we have, and that’s why I’m confident that over the long haul people will adjust their thinking about who they are going to vote for,” Bush told the AP. Bush spoke toward the end of a three-day trip through New Hampshire, the state where his campaign has decided to focus its efforts as part of a reset that’s included staff cuts and reduced spending. The much-touted “Jeb Can Fix It” tour covered 10 stops and more than 300 miles and included meeting with roughly 1,000 voters. At each stop, Bush elevated the intensity of his appearances, injecting more emotion into his stump speech and projecting a sense of urgency in his unsparing criticism of President Barack Obama and his party’s front-runner for the nomination, Hillary Rodham Clinton. But while it’s a message delivered with more oomph, the context isn’t much different from what he’s said since launching his White House bid last summer. Bush is convinced that voters will come around. The daily up and down of the campaign, the steady stream of state and national polls, attacks and counter attacks are just noise to him, he said. “It doesn’t matter. It has no meaning,” Bush told reporters on his bus Wednesday. “I have enough self-awareness to know that I’m in the middle of the pack, but I know how I need to get where I need to be and worrying about the here-and-now is just completely irrelevant.” Bush’s tour through New Hampshire coincided with his affiliated super PAC broadening its television advertising plan. The group Right to Rise reserved almost $6 million worth of in advertising in Texas, Tennessee and Oklahoma, which are among the 11 states scheduled to hold primaries on March 1, according to Kantar Media’s CMAG advertising tracker. Those new reservations put the group on pace to spend roughly $50 million on TV ads – about half of the more than $100 million it raised in the first six months of the year. The largest share, by far, of the super PAC’s advertising money is being pumped into New Hampshire. By the time voters there go to the polls in early February, Right to Rise will have spent at least $23 million on commercials to reach them. Among them is Julia King, of Bartlett, who saw Bush in person for the first time Thursday morning at a senior center in North Conway and found Bush’s “sense of purpose sincere.” “I think he a very genuine human being, with no trace of guile about him,” the retired college English teacher said. A voracious reader whose curiosity shows when he asks voters questions, Bush told the AP he sees scientific, technological and manufacturing advances all the time – and he is trying to make that real for voters. He described an investment banker he met in San Francisco who is working with researchers on a novel drug to fight cancer. “There are thousands of things like that going on all around us. We’re moving into a world of incredible abundance and purpose,” Bush said. “The question is, is everybody going to have the capacity to embrace this?” However, Bush’s optimism is not finite. Overshadowed by Trump and Carson, and edged recently in early-state preference polls by Florida rival Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Bush said he has his work cut out for him. “We still have a long hard fight. I’m not suggesting this is just all going to fall in my lap. I’m going to go earn it,” he said. “I just get up every day and express this belief that we’re on the verge of greatness again.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama business roundup: Headlines from across the state – 11/6/15 edition
What’s happening to Girl Scout cookies in the Yellowhammer state? How did other markets close the deal with Uber? What’s Walter Energy having to auction off under its new agreement? What Alabama company got “Made In America” honors from Martha Stewart? Answers to those questions and more in today’s Alabama business roundup: AL.com: Price goes up on Girl Scout cookies in Alabama The price of those irresistible Girl Scout cookies is going up. Both the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama and the Girls Scouts of Southern Alabama are raising the cost of cookies by 50 cents to $4 a box for the 2016 season. The price, however, is still one of the lowest in the nation, said Hannah Wallace, director of marketing and communications for the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, which represents troops in 36 counties. Some troops in east Massachusetts, California and Hawaii are now selling cookies for $5 a box, according to reports. “The last time the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama raised Girl Scout cookie prices was in 2007 when the four legacy councils merged together to create GSNCA,” Wallace said. “We are so excited to be able to offer our girls more profits, as well as use the increased cookie revenue to provide the Girl Scout leadership experience to girls across the state.” Meghan Cochrane, director of public relations and marketing for the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama, said the council is raising prices for the first time in more than a decade due to rising ingredients and transportation costs. “The council has been absorbing these increases in cost, and now we must finally raise the price for a package to an even $4,” she said. “The increase allows us to maintain and expand our high-quality programming and services; we will be able to increase troop proceeds and rewards.” Mary Charles, interim chief executive officer for the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, echoed those sentiments. “This increased revenue means we will be able to better support our volunteers,” she said. “One of our most important goals is to make it as easy as possible for adults to lead troops that build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. An increase in the price of Girl Scout Cookies will help provide increased financial resources to troops for program and service to their communities as well as revenue for the council administrative functions.” Councils set their own cookie prices and it’s generally based on baker costs, ingredient costs, market size and availability and shipping costs. Troop proceeds from Girl Scout cookie sales in Alabama are anywhere from 55 cents per package ($6.60 per 12-package case) to 90 cents per package ($10.80 per 12-package case), Wallace said. Proceeds are determined by a troop per girl average, she said. Troop per girl average is determined by the number of packages sold divided by the number of girls selling. After paying the baker, all proceeds stay within the local council. New ways to purchase cookies Scout troops will begin taking preorders in December and throughout the Christmas season. Official sales will begin in February. Toffee-tastic Girl Scout cookies, the first gluten-free cookie, will be available in higher quantities in Alabama this season, Wallace said. They will also sell for $4 a box. For the first time, troops in Alabama will sell cookies online. “Girls can sell their cookies online and send an invitation (to family and friends) to buy them online,” Wallace said, adding online orders will be shipped to the orders. If you have trouble finding cookies for sale in February, visit GirlScoutCookies.organd type in your zip code to find booth sales. Also, there’s an app for that. Download the Girl Scout cookie finder where you usually buy your smart phone apps. Birmingham Business Journal: Walter Energy to auction assets under new agreement Walter Energy Inc. on Thursday announced it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with a newly formed entity capitalized and owned by members of the firm’s senior lender group. The new company will acquire nearly all of Walter Energy’s assets in Alabama, according to a release from Walter Energy. The decision to sell its Alabama assets will allow the company to continue to move forward with its current restructuring. The agreement – filed with the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama – is in connection with a proposed, court-supervised auction process under section 363 of the bankruptcy code. The agreement consists of cash consideration of $5.4 million, a $1.25 billion credit bid of existing indebtedness and the assumption of certain liabilities. An asset sale was one of the options included in Walter Energy’s restructuring plan when it filed for Chapter 11 protection in July. During the process, hundreds of Walter employees have been laid off – with the most recent round of temporary layoffs impacting 265 employees of Jim Walter Resources at its No.7 Mine in Brookwood, which is company’s largest and most productive mining operation. Earlier this month, Walter Energy announced 129 workers at Jim Walter’s No. 4 mine in Brookwood would be laid off, as a result of poor market conditions. The downturn for Alabama met coal producers is a result of another substantial downturn in the steelmaking sector – which is a primary customer of Alabama met coal. As steelmakers transition to new technology– primarily in China, which is in the midst of a construction lag – met coal producers like Walter continue to struggle adapting to the volatile global market. While Walter’s struggles have had the most profound impact on the Alabama coal sector, the company is not the only Alabama coal firm reeling as a result of the economic downturn facing the coal industry. Cliffs Natural Resources recently announced plans to cut its workforce by about 50 percent at two mining sites – the Oak Grove Mine in Jefferson County and the Pinnacle Mine in West Virginia. North American Coal Corp. on Oct. 10 also announced layoffs when it officially closed its Jasper operations, which impacted 118 workers. Birmingham Business
National recognition for Birmingham philanthropist T. Marie King
Alabama native and co-founder of the Birmingham-based grassroots mentorship program, Precious Pearls of Promise, T. Marie King is being honored by a national publication for her inspirational work helping young women ages 14 to 25 become strong and successful. King, 35, is among 50 women Glamour magazine has chosen from each state for inspiring other women and making a difference as their “Hometown Heroes.” An avid volunteer since the age of 13 with organizations such as Cool Girls Inc., CASA, Junior Achievement and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, King says she’s always had a passion for three things — mentoring young adults, the arts and giving back to her community. “I wanted to give young girls what I felt I could have benefited from at their age: a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, and a loving, nonjudgmental heart,” said King to the magazine. Meeting twice a month for classes that “reinforce what young ladies are learning at home,” King helps mentor the “pearls” on 24 key topics ranging in everything everything from communication skills to having a good attitude to how to deal with peer pressure. The class even include biblical concepts and principles, which is fitting as King obtained a Masters of Divinity from Luther Rice University in 2013. According to Glamour, King is planning to expand the mentoring services to young men in Birmingham as well, and is developing a resource that will help connect Alabama families in need with affordable housing and counseling services “Many people work hard at building numbers,” King explained. “We are working hard at building lives.”
