Latest Mining Headlines
All the headlines from our Mining Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Zealand Coal Mine Blast Traps 27 Miners Underground
Nov 19 2010 // An explosion rocked a remote colliery in New Zealand on Friday, trapping 27 miners underground, the company and local authorities said. The new mine, which only began shipping coal this year, is dug into the side of a...
Employer Leave of Absence, Return-to-Work Process a Potential Minefield
Nov 17 2010 // Managing multiple leaves of absence and the return-to-work process may require navigating a maze of complementary and conflicting requirements. Yet it’s important to manage these decisions properly, as appropriate...
U.S. Seeks to Shut Massey Mine in Kentucky Over Safety
Nov 4 2010 // Mine safety regulators have filed a motion against a company owned by Massey Energy , claiming safety violations at one of its mines in Kentucky, the U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday. It said its Mine Safety and...
West Virginia Court Upholds Mine Safety Office Authority
Nov 3 2010 // The authority of West Virginia’s mine safety office to suspend coal miners has been upheld by the state Supreme Court. The decision stems from the death of locomotive driver Victor Goudy at Consol Energy’s...
Willis Consolidates, US, UK Group Mining Practice
Oct 21 2010 // Willis Group Holdings announced that it has incorporated its US, UK and International hubs of mining expertise into one worldwide group practice, which will report to Steve Hearn, London-based Chairman of Global Markets...
Australian Mines, Sugar Growers Face Increased Cyclone Threat
Oct 19 2010 // Australia faces almost double the number of destructive tropical cyclones, possibly as many as 22, across oil and gas, iron ore and sugar production regions during 2010/11 cyclone season, the weather bureau said. The...
Massey Cited for Serious Violations at West Virginia Mine
Oct 13 2010 // A surprise inspection has turned up serious safety violations that could have caused an explosion at another Massey Energy Co. coal mine in West Virginia, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration announced last...
Judge Cuts Fines Against ICG for Deadly Sago Mine Blast in 2006
Oct 12 2010 // An administrative law judge has reduced some of the fines levied against International Coal Group Inc. for the 2006 Sago Mine explosion that killed 12 men and downgraded some violations the Mine Safety and Health...
Federal Regulators Taking New Steps to Identify Most Dangerous Mines
Sep 30 2010 // Federal regulators have implemented new measures for identifying the nation’s most dangerous mines, replacing what U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis had called a “badly broken” process. The Mine Health and...
Dow Settles Hazardous Chemical Exposure Claims with Alabama Miners
Sep 29 2010 // Dow Chemical Co. and Flexible Products Co. settled with nearly 1,400 miners in an Alabama court over the miners’ claims they were exposed to hazardous chemicals, Dow said Tuesday. The surprise settlement involving...
Massey CEO Accuses Feds of Lying in West Virginia Mine Probe
Sep 23 2010 // The embattled chief executive of Massey Energy has accused federal regulators of not making a genuine effort to investigate the explosion that killed 29 miners and injured two at the company’s Upper Big Branch mine...
Jury Sets Home Values in Pennsylvania Town Hit by Mine Fire
Sep 14 2010 // A Central Pennsylvania jury has set values for homes in a central Pennsylvania town decimated by a mine fire at values far below those sought by homeowners who are challenging the state’s condemnation of their...
Surprise Inspections at Appalachian Mines Uncover Safety Violations
Aug 27 2010 // Recent surprise inspections show that increased enforcement isn’t preventing U.S. coal mines from continuing to violate safety laws, the federal Mine Safety & Health Administration said. MSHA inspectors found...
$245K Settlement Reached in South Dakota Mine Spat
Aug 19 2010 // A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit that a South Dakota couple filed against the U.S. Forest Service over two disabled gold mines in the Black Hills. Arron and Judy Marston said the Forest Service illegally...
Mine Explosion Cause Still Unknown
Aug 12 2010 // Federal mining officials say it’s still too soon to say what caused the worst U.S. mining disaster in several decades where 29 miners died. Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration chief Joe Main said Wednesday...
Grand Jury Weighs Monitor Shutdown at Massey West Virginia Mine
Aug 2 2010 // A federal grand jury looking into an explosion that killed 29 workers at a Massey Energy Co. coal mine in West Virginia heard testimony last week about possible illegal tampering with a mine safety monitor, the Wall Street...
Industry Balks as Democrats Press for Mine Safety, OSHA Changes
Aug 2 2010 // Prompted by the deadly explosion in April that killed 29 coal miners in West Virginia, a House of Representatives committee recently approved sweeping mine and workplace safety reforms. The 30-17 vote came over the...
Mine Safety Officials Rebut Massey On Ventilation Claims
Jul 26 2010 // Mine safety officials are painting a portrait of ineptitude and confusion by officials at Massey Energy Co. in the months before an explosion at the company’s West Virginia mine killed 29 men. The depiction —...
House Committee Passes Mine Safety Bill As Industry Protests
Jul 23 2010 // A House panel this week approved sweeping mine and workplace safety reforms prompted by the deadly explosion in April that killed 29 coal miners in West Virginia. The 30-17 vote came over the objections of the mine...
Massey Settles Lawsuit Over Miner’s Death for $2.1 Million
Jul 21 2010 // Massey Energy has settled a lawsuit filed by the family of a contract worker killed at one of the company’s West Virginia coal mines. Boone County Circuit Court records show Massey paid the family of Steven Cain $2.1...
