The Coal Trading Association announces its 2009 schedule of events. For additional details, including information on sponsorship opportunities, visit the CTA website and click on the Events tab.

CTA Reception at the 2009 Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference, May 5, 2009, Orlando, FL
The CTA Reception at the 2009 Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference will be held on May 5. Join us for a wine tasting and the opportunity to win $400 in Disney dollars while enjoying the company of colleagues from utilities, producers, trading companies, and brokerages. No registration required but it is appreciated.

2009 Midyear Meeting and Coal Facility Tour, June 11, 2009, Charlotte, NC
The 2009 Midyear Meeting will be held in Charlotte, NC, on Thursday, June 11. The meeting will be held at part of a tour of the Duke Energy nuclear facility. Registration and a minor security check will be mandatory and must be submitted no less than two weeks before the event. Look for the registration form in January. Registration is mandatory and must be submitted by May 31. A registration form will be posted on the CTA website soon.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Coal Trading Class, September 2009
Course participants will learn the basics of coal trading: the traded coal products; the types of trading instruments (forward contracts, swaps, options, basis trades); how to identify and manage risk, understand forward curves. Registration is required.

2009 Coal Trading Conference – December 7-8, New York, NY
New York City will host the 2009 Coal Trading Conference, which will be held December 7-8 at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in Times Square. A reception on December 7 will precede the full-day conference on December 8. Program details and an online registration form will be available in October.

The Coal Trading Association announces a new training class: Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading. The class will be September 18-19 in Houston, TX, at the Intercontinental Hotel. The registration fee for CTA members will be $250, and for nonmembers $450.

Online registration is available from the CTA’s website on the Events page (www.coaltrade.org). Class size is limited. Rooms are available at the Intercontinental Hotel for the discounted rate of $179 a night by calling 800-316-8645 and asking for the Coal Trading Association group rate.

The one-day training class will begin with a reception on Thursday, September 18. The class will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday. September 19.

The course is intended for people who have already taken the Fundamentals of Coal Trading class or others in the industry who would benefit from a more in-depth and sophisticated look at the trading industry. Course participants will learn the nuts and bolts approach to using the instruments in OTC and futures markets covered in the Fundamentals Course in their trading and hedging strategies.

Steve Doyle, a former trader who now provides the energy and financial sectors with research and risk management consulting, will teach the class. He is also the author of the highly regarded Coal Trading Handbook.

The Coal Trading Association will host its 2008 Midyear Meeting in Chicago, July 16-17. The event will kick off with an opening dinner on July 16 and continue the following day with the Midyear Business Meeting and a tour of a DTE fuel transloading terminal on Lake Michigan.

The free event is open to members and nonmembers, but advance registration for all attendees is required. Online registration is available on the CTA event website.

During the Midyear Meeting, the members discuss pending industry issues, hear reports from standing committees, and vote to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors. This year, the members will elect four members to the Board of Directors.

The agenda for this year’s meeting will include a report from the CTA’s New Products Committee, which was created at the membership’s request at the 2007 Midyear Meeting. The committee will discuss the results of a survey on new products that are in development in conjunction with anticipated environmental legislation.

The DTE facility is a modern and efficient fuel-service solid fuels terminal that provides transportation options for inbound and outbound deliveries, including logistical support.

The Coal Trading Association will again host a reception the evening before the Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference in Orlando, FL. The event will take place Tuesday evening, May 6, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts and include a wine tasting and two drawings for $200 in Disney Dollars. Registration is free.

The reception is one of several events the CTA will sponsor this year; including two training classes, a coal facility tour, and the leading conference for coal traders held in the US.

The following are highlights of the 2008 CTA events:

• July 16-17: 2008 Midyear Meeting and Coal Transportation Facility Tour in Chicago will kick off with an opening dinner on July 16 and continue the following day with the Midyear Business Meeting and tour of a DTE fuel transloading terminal on Lake Michigan. The facility is a modern and efficient fuel-service solid fuels terminal that provides transportation options for inbound and outbound deliveries, including logistical support. Registration is free, but required, and the event is open to nonmembers.
• July 18: Chicago will also be the site of this year’s Fundamentals of Coal Trading class that will be held at the Ritz-Carlton. Steve Doyle, a former trader who now provides the energy and financial sectors with research and risk management consulting, will teach the class. He is also the author of the highly regarded Coal Trading Handbook.
• September 18-19: Steve Doyle will also teach the new Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading class at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston, TX. The course is intended for people who have taken the Fundamentals of Coal Trading class and who would benefit from a more in depth and sophisticated look at the trading industry.
• December 10-11—New York City will host the 2008 Coal Trading Conference at the Millennium Broadway Hotel located in Times Square. A reception on December 10 will precede the full-day conference on December 11. Program details and an online registration form will be available in October.

The Coal Trading Association announces its preliminary schedule of conferences, meetings, and training classes for 2008.

The schedule includes a repeat of the popular Fundamentals of Coal Trading class, which sold out in 2007, as well as an all-new Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading course.

Following is the preliminary event schedule for the 2008 year:

• May 6: The CTA will host a reception the night before this year’s Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference in Orlando. The reception will be held at the Disney Yacht Club Resort. Registration is free.
• July 16-17: 2008 Midyear Meeting and Coal Transportation Facility Tour in Chicago will kick off with an opening dinner on July 16 and continue the following day with the Midyear Business Meeting and tour of a DTE fuel transloading terminal on Lake Michigan. The facility is a modern and efficient fuel-service solid fuels terminal that provides transportation options for inbound and outbound deliveries, including logistical support. Registration is free, but required, and the event is open to nonmembers.
• July 18: Chicago will also be the site of this year’s Fundamentals of Coal Trading class that will be held at the Ritz-Carlton. Steve Doyle, a former trader who now provides the energy and financial sectors with research and risk management consulting, will teach the class. He is also the author of the highly regarded Coal Trading Handbook.
• September 18-19: Steve Doyle will also teach the new Advanced Fundamentals of Coal Trading class at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston, TX. The course is intended for people who have taken the Fundamentals of Coal Trading class and who would benefit from a more in depth and sophisticated look at the trading industry.
• December 10-11: New York City will host the 2008 Coal Trading Conference at the Millennium Broadway Hotel located in Times Square. A reception on December 10 will precede the full-day conference on December 11. Program details and an online registration form will be available in October.

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.