Latest Mining Headlines
All the headlines from our Mining Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mining Firms Complain Democrats’ Safety Bill Too Harsh
Jul 15 2010 // The nation’s top mine safety official urged quick passage this week of a bill that would crack down on mines with safety problems, despite industry complaints that the legislation is too punitive. Mine Safety and...
Kentucky Officials Warn Over Mine Collapses
Jul 8 2010 // State mine safety workers are meeting face-to-face with coal miners at the job site to urge them to be vigilant about potential underground collapses, which have killed four miners in Kentucky this year. Mine Safety and...
Ex-Kentucky Mine Regulator Charged with Falsifying Records
Jul 6 2010 // A former government mine safety analyst has been indicted on charges of falsifying multiple reports while working for the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing. Betty Sue Whitaker of Hazard faces 58 counts of...
Safety Agency Dropped 7 West Virginia Mines from Violator List
Jul 1 2010 // Plans to crack down on seven West Virginia coal mines with a history of excessive health and safety violations were dropped because of a lack of money, the industry’s chief federal regulator said this week. The West...
Massey Fights Safety Regulator Over West Virginia Mine Probe
Jun 30 2010 // Troubled coal producer Massey Energy Co. has taken legal action against the industry’s chief safety regulator for the second time in a week. Massey said it is appealing a federal Mine Safety and Health Administration...
New Lawsuit Filed Over 2007 Utah Mine Disaster
Jun 28 2010 // Six U.S. insurance companies and Lloyd’s of London are suing for reimbursement of millions of dollars for equipment abandoned inside a Utah mine that collapsed in 2007, killing six miners and three rescuers. The suit...
West Virginia Mine Operator Massey Fined for Minor Violations
Jun 24 2010 // Massey Energy Co. has been fined more than $6,000 for mostly minor safety violations found during an investigation of the nation’s deadliest coal mining disaster in 40 years, according to the federal Mine Safety and...
Massey Suing to Limit Government Oversight of Mine Ventilation
Jun 24 2010 // Massey Energy is suing to strip the federal government of its power to influence how coal mines are ventilated. The troubled Richmond, Virginia-based coal company said it would file a federal lawsuit. Massey wants to limit...
Subpoenas Issued in West Virginia Mine Explosion Investigation
Jun 15 2010 // Government investigators have begun issuing subpoenas to reluctant witnesses to the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years, accordng to West Virginia’s mine safety director. The five subpoenas issued...
Massey Hits U.S. Mine Safety Chief’s Comments on Violations
Jun 11 2010 // Coal miner Massey Energy Co criticized a U.S. mine safety official’s comments Thursday, saying the process of dealing with safety violations is biased against mining companies. “We are disappointed in the...
Judge: Stricter Regulation at Massey West Virginia Mine Not Justified
Jun 10 2010 // An administrative law judge ruled this week that there was no pattern of violations that would lead to stricter regulation at a Massey Energy Co. mine in Virginia. A Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission judge...
Inspectors Say No Problems Found in West Virginia Mine After 1 Day
Jun 9 2010 // Teams found no problems Monday during a daylong expedition inside the West Virginia coal mine where 29 men died in the industry’s worst disaster in 40 years, officials said. Teams entered Massey Energy Co.’s...
Workers Raise Safety Concerns About Kentucky Mine Where 2 Killed
Jun 3 2010 // The United Mine Workers of America are raising new concerns about the safety of a western Kentucky coal mine where two men were killed by a rock fall in April. Steve Earle, a regional vice president for UMWA, said miners...
Investigators to Visit Massey West Virginia Coal Mine Today
Jun 2 2010 // Investigators probing the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years plan to enter the Upper Big Branch mine for the first time today, owner Massey Energy Co. said. Unsafe levels of toxic and explosive gases...
West Virginia Sen. Rockfeller Urges Mine Safety Changes
Jun 1 2010 // West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller is urging President Barack Obama to make several mine safety improvements immediately. In a letter dated Sunday, Rockefeller told Obama he should consider several suggestions made by...
U.S. Mines Facing Shortage of Safety Air Packs
May 28 2010 // One of just two major makers of emergency air packs for U.S. coal mines has stopped selling the devices because they often don’t automatically start and the industry fears it will lead to a shortage, officials...
CEO Defends Massey Over West Virginia Mine Safety
May 24 2010 // The embattled head of Massey Energy Co. went on the defensive Thursday as he faced angry lawmakers who claim the company’s indifference toward safety led to the nation’s worst mining disaster in 40...
Judge Nixes Union Lawsuit Over Massey Mine Probe Interviews
May 24 2010 // A judge in West Virginia has dismissed a lawsuit over the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration’s plan to privately interview witnesses to the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years. U.S....
Lawsuits Against Coal Firms Claim Mining Worsened Kentucky Floods
May 17 2010 // A lawsuit filed against two coal companies that blames mining and poor reclamation for worsening flooding around an eastern Kentucky creek has grown to include 72 plaintiffs. The suit, plus a second lawsuit with 15...
West Virginia Could Add Second Agency to Police Mine Safety and Enforce Rules
May 17 2010 // West Virginia is mulling a new state agency dedicated to policing dangerous coal mines in response to an explosion that killed 29 men at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine. The state Board of Coal Mine Health and...
