The Coal Trading Association announces its preliminary schedule of meetings, conferences, and training classes for 2008. The schedule includes a repeat of the “Fundamentals of Coal Trading Class,” which was sold out in 2007, and a new “Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading Class.”

Additional details will be posted on the CTA’s website (www.coaltrade.org) in January. Following is the preliminary schedule:

• Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference Reception, Orlando, FL
• 2008 Midyear Meeting and Coal Transportation Facility Tour, July 16-17, Chicago, IL
• Fundamentals of Coal Trading Training Class (Steve Doyle, Instructor), July 18, Chicago, IL
• Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading Training Class (Steve Doyle, Instructor), September 18, Houston, TX
• 2008 Coal Trading Conference, December (dates and hotel to be announced), New York, NY

The Coal Trading Association announces its preliminary schedule of meetings, conferences, and training classes for 2008. The schedule includes a repeat of the “Fundamentals of Coal Trading Class,” which was sold out in 2007, and a new “Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading Class.”

Additional details will be posted on the CTA’s website in January. Following is the preliminary schedule:

• Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference Reception, Orlando, FL
• 2008 Midyear Meeting and Coal Transportation Facility Tour, July 16-17, Chicago, IL
• Fundamentals of Coal Trading Training Class (Steve Doyle, Instructor), July 18, Chicago, IL
• Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading Training Class (Steve Doyle, Instructor), September 18, Houston, TX
• 2008 Coal Trading Conference, December (dates and hotel to be announced), New York, NY

The Coal Trading Association (CTA) has created a New Products Committee that will be open to both members and nonmembers. Raphael Pierce of Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy, who is also the board vice president, was named committee chair. The committee will discuss some of its plans during the CTA’s Annual Meeting, which will be held December 3 in New York prior to the Coal Trading Conference.

There will be three subcommittees:

• Dan Vaughn, ICAP United, Inc. was selected as chair of the Illinois Basin Subcommittee.
• Ron Chesnos, with Foundation Energy Sales, Inc, will chair the Northern App. Subcommittee.
• Tom Hiemstra, of Evolution Markets Inc., and the CTA’s president, will chair the Emerging Products Subcommittee.

The committee’s main focus will be to define a slate of coal products in consideration of the implementation deadline for SO2 emission standards under 2010 CAIR regulations. It will also engage in other activities, including working with the notifying NYMEX on potential clearing functions. In its initial meetings the committee will consider several issues regarding coal quality specifications and ultimate transportation sources.

The committee also expects to develop a quality specifications survey in November. It will then submit recommendations to the CTA board for review at its December meeting.

Any board-approved recommendations will then be submitted to the full membership at the Annual Business Meeting, which will be held at 1 p.m. on December 3 at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York. The meeting is held in conjunction with the Coal Trading Conference on December 4.

Coal and the Global Energy Market will be the theme for the 2008 Coal Trading Conference, December 10-11 at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City. Registration is now open by clicking here (need the URL). The full conference agenda is available from the website of the conference sponsors, the American Coal Council and Coal Trading Association.

The keynote speakers at this year’s event will be Dennis Gartman, editor of The Gartman Letter. Consistently rated the conference’s top speaker at previous events, Gartman will offer a global financial market outlook. Nationally know journalist Aaron Brown will be the luncheon speaker. Brown, the former anchor of CNN’s flagship NewsNight with Aaron Brown will provide a post-election recap, and an assessment of how the elections will affect the legislative agenda.

Other speakers and panels will consider the international coal outlook and what the new regulatory and political landscape means for coal and coal trading. A session is also planned presenting bull and bear perspectives on the future of the coal industry. The closing session will be an encore of the popular Trading Trends panel, featuring some of the coal trading industry’s leading authorities.

The two-day event will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10, with the Coal Trading Association annual business meeting. That evening the conference begins with a welcoming reception. The full-day conference program will be held on Thursday, December 11.

Early bird registration is $695 for Coal Trading Association and American Coal Council members, $840 for nonmembers. After November 7 registration will be $825 for members, $970 for nonmembers. Click here to register.

The Millennium Broadway Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Times Square. The hotel is offering a limited number of hotel rooms is available at the special conference rate of $399 a night.

Keynote speaker and panels for the 2007 Coal Trading Conference has been set. The theme of this year’s event is “Coal Markets: Focus on the Fundamentals.” The full conference agenda is available on the American Coal Council and Coal Trading Association websites.

There will be two keynote speakers at this year’s event:

• Dennis Gartman, editor of The Gartman Letter, will offer a global market outlook.
• Holly Koeppel, CFO and executive vice president of American Electric Power will offer an overview of current issues facing the utility industry.

Other speakers and panels will address the global energy landscape, environmental trends and their impact on coal-fired generation, and the US coal supply and demand fundamentals. Dan Roling, CEO of National Coal Company, and Seth Schwartz, principle with Energy Ventures Analysis, will have a bull/bear debate on the direction of the coal market. The closing session will be an encore of the popular Trading Trends panel, featuring some of the trading world’s leading authorities.

The 2007 Coal Trading Conference will be held at the Millennium Broadway Hotel. The two-day event will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 3, with the Coal Trading Association annual business meeting. That evening the conference begins with a welcoming reception. The one-day conference will be held on Tuesday, December 4.

Early bird registration is $545 for Coal Trading Association and American Coal Council members, $690 for nonmembers. After November 2 registration is $675 for members, $820 for nonmembers.

Online registration is now open for the 6th Annual Coal Trading Conference, December 3-4 in New York City. The event is jointly produced by the American Coal Council and the Coal Trading Association. The theme of this year’s event is “Coal Markets: Focus on the Fundamentals.”

The full-day conference is an annual opportunity for industry leaders to meet. Registrants will hear speakers and panels discuss trends in the marketplace, improve their understanding of coal trading issues, and facilitate business relationships among the different sectors of the utility-coal business. Industry leaders will address timely issues such as these:

• The Global Energy Landscape,
• Environmental Trends and their Impact on Coal-fired Generation,
• US Coal Supply and Demand Fundamentals, and
• Coal Market Experts: The Bull/Bear Debate.

The 2007 Coal Trading Conference will be held a week earlier and on a new schedule this year at the Millennium Broadway Hotel, located one block from Times Square. The two-day event will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 3, with the Coal Trading Association annual business meeting. That evening the conference begins with a welcoming reception. The one-day conference will be held on Tuesday, December 4.

Early bird registration is $545 for Coal Trading Association and American Coal Council members, $690 for nonmembers. After November 2 registration is $675 for members, $820 for nonmembers.

The Coal Trading Association (CTA) Board of Directors has elected its officers for the coming year:

• Tom Hiemstra, director, Coal Markets, with Evolution Markets Inc., is the new president.
• Raphael Pierce, vice president, Domestic Coal, Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy LLC, is the new vice president.
• Rick Pieper, director, Marketing and Pricing, Rio Tinto Energy America, is the new secretary.
• Stephen Smith, vice president, Sempra Energy Trading, will serve another term as treasurer.

Immediate Past President Brad Speer, vice president, Coal Trading with Koch Carbon LLC, completed three terms as CTA board president, the maximum allowed under the association’s bylaws. He continues as a board member.

The Coal Trading Association (CTA) has reelected two individuals to its Board of Directors. The elections were held July 19 during the 2007 Midyear Business Meeting, held in Deadwood, SD. The meeting included a tour of the Rio Tinto Jacob’s Ranch Mine in Wyoming.

Following are the two board members reelected:

• Brad Speer, Vice President, Coal Trading, Koch Carbon LLC, Houston, TX; and,
• Raphael Pierce, Vice President, Domestic Coal, Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy, St. Louis, MO.

Both will serve three-year terms. Speer is currently the CTA’s president and Pierce its secretary. The CTA’s board will elect new officers during its September board meeting in Houston, TX. That board meeting will be held the day before a new CTA training class, The Fundamentals of Coal Trading. This class, which will be held on September 20, will teach participants how coal trading is conducted, build awareness of available risk management tools, and familiarize future coal traders and support personnel with over-the-counter coal markets.

The Coal Trading Association (CTA) has opened registration for its 2007 Midyear Meeting, which will be held July 18-20 in Deadwood, SD. The event will include a tour of a Powder River Basin mine and a business meeting. Registration is free and this year is open to nonmembers.

Following is an outline of the scheduled events:

• Wednesday, July 18—Arrival in Deadwood (Rapid City, SD is the nearest airport, a 45-minute drive).
• Thursday, July 19—Attendees will tour Rio Tinto’s Jacobs Ranch Mine (transportation provided by the CTA). Following the tour the group will enjoy lunch and attend the Midyear Meeting. After the return trip all participants are invited to be guests at a CTA dinner.
• Friday, July 20—Participants can sign up for a complimentary morning tour of Mt. Rushmore Tour or a golf outing at the nearby Boulder Canyon Country Club.

During the Midyear Meeting, CTA members discuss pending industry issues, hear reports from standing committees, and vote to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors. Although nonmembers may attend the meeting, only voting members are eligible to run as board candidates and to participate in the election.

Registration for this event is free but required; the deadline is July 2. For a registration form and Midyear Meeting agenda contact CTA Headquarters by email or phone. Participants must reserve their own hotel rooms by contacting the Mineral Palace Hotel and Casino (800-847-2522).

The Coal Trading Association (CTA) has announced plans to host a new educational event, “Understanding the Fundamentals of Coal Trading.” The one-day event will be held on September 20, 2007, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston, TX.

Course instructors will teach participants how coal trading is conducted, build awareness of available risk management tools, and familiarize future coal traders and support personnel with over-the-counter coal markets. The course will include these topics:

• coal commodities and trading platforms,
• hedging strategies for producers and generators,
• swaps and physical indexation,
• futures and options,
• time, quality, and location spreads,
• settlements process, and
• credit and contract language.

According to CTA President Brad Speer, “We hope this event will attract individuals who work in the coal and energy industry, including credit, risk, legal, and accounting departments of coal trading companies or brokerages, coal mining companies, utilities, as well as future market participants. As a benefit to our membership and to encourage participation, the CTA will underwrite part of the costs to keep registration fees as low as possible.” The registration fee for CTA members will be $250, and for nonmembers $450. A registration form and additional event details will be posted on the CTA website next month. Class size will be limited.