[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4766-S4767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING CHRIS CLINE

 Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I can't express enough what Chris 
Cline meant to our home State of West Virginia. He represented the very 
best of the Mountain State, which is saying a lot. Born in McDowell 
County and raised a stone's throw from the train tracks in the 
coalfields of Beckley, Chris's family was wealthy beyond measure in the

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only currency that truly matters: love, work ethic, and profound 
strength of character.
  One of my favorite stories about Chris is, when he was a child, he 
filled bags with dirt for his father, Paul, to use for blasting holes 
at the mine. His father paid him a penny per bag. It was once the front 
porch caved in that his father realized he had been getting the dirt 
from beneath it. Chris said that was how he learned the importance of 
infrastructure.
  He never lost touch with the days he would come home from a shift in 
the mines as a young man of only 15, his face caked in coal dust. In 
fact, he kept his first hard hat, battered from years of hard labor, in 
a place of honor at his home in Beckley. From this foundation, he built 
an opportunity empire. From the early days of Pioneer Fuel to when 
Chris founded Foresight Energy, much of the success he gained was 
returned to the men and women who keep the lights on. He treated his 
workforce as family, knowing very well what it was like to be in their 
shoes, and so he invested in the safest, most innovative, and efficient 
tools and methods.
  His coal enterprises took him from Appalachia to Illinois to Canada. 
He offered cash incentives to his miners, installed advanced and safe 
mining equipment, and was ahead of his time in anticipating the market 
for coal. Chris believed it was not enough to be innovative, you need a 
little luck. At Foresight, his four mine complexes were the most 
productive underground operations in the Nation. He bought docks on the 
Mississippi River and built rail spurs to haul coal onto ships bound 
for India, Europe, and Asia.
  Chris understood opponents of burning coal while defending coal and 
his role in supplying the world with it. He believed that people 
deserved the cheapest energy they could get. He had a curious mind, was 
eager to learn about everything, and never stopped learning. As 
committed as he was to coal energy, for his Big Grand Cay property, he 
installed solar panels and batteries. Where renewable energy sources 
made sense, he was eager to embrace them.
  There is no greater accomplishment in the world than to be in a 
position to give back to the community you love, that made you who you 
are. That is what made Chris the wonderful, inspiring, and generous 
person he was. Through the Cline Family Foundation, founded in 2009, 
Chris made a profound impact on Marshal University and West Virginia 
University. His legacy will remain forever in the hearts of all who had 
the privilege of knowing him, and he will be remembered through the 
countless lives he benefited with his generosity to our academic 
institutions. Chris believed with all his heart that West Virginians 
are the most hard-working, ethical people in our Nation, and he wanted 
to ensure they had every opportunity to utilize their skills with the 
best possible resources to build their lives from the ground up, just 
as he did. His mission was for each of his accomplishments to pave the 
way for others to go even further than he did.
  Chris was generous with his philanthropy publicly through the Cline 
Family Foundation, but most importantly, he was generous and 
compassionate privately, almost daily. The foundation focuses on 
donations throughout West Virginia in recognition of the community's 
contribution to his success. It offers scholarships and grants, endows 
universities, and financially supports charitable organizations that 
make life better for children and older youth. Chris once said that 
everyone in West Virginia contributed to his success, and he was 
determined to repay the favor. He certainly did, and our statewide 
community is better for it.
  Among other donations, the Cline Family Foundation supported Place of 
Hope, a foster care and adoption organization; Peacehaven Community 
Farm, a home for disabled adults; orphanages in West Virginia and 
Haiti; Save the Children; humanitarian aid organizations in Tanzania; 
churches; and the Raleigh County YMCA, among other organizations, and 
many needy individuals over the years. He also supported the Benjamin 
School from which his daughter Kameron graduated in 2015. Few people 
beyond the recipients know details of Mr. Cline's many and constant 
personal acts of private charity.
  Sharing his adventures with his four children and his lifelong 
friends was his absolute favorite way to spend his time. He would take 
crowds of friends and family to the Super Bowl, the Big East 
Tournament, countless other sporting events, and on his frequent world 
travels. Chris was an adventure junkie, always looking forward to the 
next time he could drive a fast car or ride a four-wheeler through the 
West Virginia hills.
  I can't speak enough to what a good-hearted, wonderful person he 
truly was. I always thought of him as a man for all seasons. No matter 
the circumstances, he kept a cool head and a warm demeanor, always able 
to discern the most honorable path forward. It was an honor to call him 
my friend, and I miss him dearly.
  I join all West Virginians in extending my deepest condolences to his 
children, Candice and her husband James, Christopher, and Alex, for the 
loss of their loving father and their sister, Kameron. I also extend my 
condolences to Chris's brothers Greg and Kenneth. It is my hope the 
entire Cline family is able to find peace, strength, and support in one 
another.

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