By David Hurst

June 6, 2017 - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf will join a crowd of coal miners and project partners Thursday for the grand opening of the Acosta Mine.

President Donald Trump also will have “a presence” at the event, though a source close to the White House confirmed the nation’s commander-in-chief won’t be making the trip.

Plans are in the works to have Trump deliver a special message – perhaps by video – to more than 150 Corsa Coal mine workers, administrators and project investors during a cookout and a ceremonial mine opening at the Jenner Township site, the source said.

Corsa officials in early November  announced plans to open the mine, saying it will mean 70 to 100 jobs at the site, as well as hundreds of spin-offs to support the operation.

It’s one of two coal seams in the region that area companies have been working to reopen over the past seven months – the other, Rosebud Mining’s Cresson Mine project – at a time China has scaled down its metallurgical coal production and global demand for steel has risen.

Corsa’s project, which was originally permitted in late 2010, has been funded by private investment and a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which Wolf’s office announced last fall.

Bethany Vietmeier, president of the event planning group that is marketing the event for Corsa, said the invite-only event is expected to kick off at 12:30 p.m. 

The Pennsylvania Coal Alliance and Somerset County Chamber of Commerce are joining the Canonsburg-based coal company to celebrate the mine’s opening Thursday. 

Trump was invited to the celebration last month.

Vietmeier confirmed Trump was expected to “have a presence” at Thursday’s event but said she was not able to offer further details as on Monday.