Cagle Named President of Alabama Coal Association

Barber to Retire After Seven Years at the Helm

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Patrick Cagle has been named the new president of the Alabama Coal
Association, succeeding George Barber, who has elected to retire after
seven years of service to the coal group which was first formed in 1972.

The Alabama Coal Association serves as the unified voice of its member
companies to address issues impacting the mining industry. The
association currently represents companies producing 92 percent of all
coal produced in the state of Alabama.

“We are pleased to have Patrick joining the coal association as its new
president,” said Walt Scheller, a member of the Alabama Coal Association
Board of Directors. “The background and experience he brings related to
coal issues will make him a valuable asset to the association. We wish
George well in his retirement and we thank him for his steady guidance
of the association during some difficult years for the industry. George
has always been a true friend of coal.”

Barber took over the role of president seven years ago on an interim
basis and continued to serve in that role until his decision to retire.
He has also been a member of the board of directors and is a past
chairman of the board.

“I enjoyed my time there and working with our member companies on the
variety of issues which have confronted the industry in the past several
years,” Barber said. “I am looking forward now to just sitting back at
my place on the river and enjoying the peace and quiet.”

Cagle, who has worked with the association on legislative matters in the
past, has more than 10 years of experience in navigating Alabama’s
political landscape. As executive director of JobKeeper Alliance, a
501c(4) nonprofit whose mission is to protect and create quality jobs,
he previously worked hand-in-hand with the coal industry to oppose
onerous, job-killing regulations.

“I think my legislative and regulatory experience has prepared me to be
an effective advocate for Alabama’s coal industry,” Cagle said.

Cagle and his wife, Molly, have a 15-month-old son, Bankston. They are
active members at Church of the Highlands. Cagle is an avid outdoorsman
and a member of the Conservation Advisory Board, which assists the
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with the
formation of hunting and fishing regulations.

“One of my goals as the new president of the Alabama Coal Association is
to ensure that elected officials, community leaders and the general
public have a greater understanding of the Alabama coal industry and its
benefits to our communities and our state,” Cagle said. “Not only is
Alabama coal a valuable resource in terms of energy production, but its
use in steel making and as an export commodity make it of further value
in helping to offset trade imbalances at the national level.”

Cagle noted that Alabama coal is also valuable in terms of the jobs it
provides in the state which go beyond direct mining jobs and extend into
support jobs, suppliers and other jobs in the communities in which coal
is mined in the state.

He credited Barber for successfully helping the association and its
member companies to navigate through difficult times and difficult
issues in the past seven years.

“I look forward to the new challenges ahead,” Cagle said, adding, “I
appreciate the hard work that others have done before me in the
association and I hope to be able to build on that to continue to move
Alabama’s coal industry forward.”

For information on the Alabama Coal Association, contact alcoal.com.

Contacts

Alabama Coal Association
Patty Tice, 205-871-3734
Fax:
205-871-3735