Latest Mining Headlines
All the headlines from our Mining Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Kentucky Coal-Mining Deaths at Record Low in 2018
Jan 14 2019 // The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration says coal-mining related deaths have reached a record low in Kentucky where a single miner died last year. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the agency said Jan. 8 that...
Tropical Cyclone Penny Slams North Australia Coast Near Rio Tinto Mine
Jan 2 2019 // Tropical Cyclone Penny slammed into the far north coast of Australia’s Queensland state near Rio Tinto Group’s Weipa bauxite mine, triggering warnings of flash flooding and damaging winds. The category 1...
Australia Court Narrows Class-Action Suits Against BHP over Brazil Mine Disaster
Dec 19 2018 // The Federal Court of Australia on Tuesday ordered that the number of class-action lawsuits against BHP Group over a Brazilian mine collapse be narrowed to one from three. BHP is facing legal challenges over the 2015...
BHP Readies for Largest English Group Lawsuit over 2015 Brazil Mine Disaster
Nov 26 2018 // Mining giant BHP says it will fight an unprecedented English lawsuit filed by hundreds of thousands of Brazilians for multi-billion pound damages over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. SPG Law, a British...
West Virginia Gov Makes 3 Appointments to Miners’ Health Safety Office
Nov 16 2018 // West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has made three appointments to the state’s Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that Justice said in a news release that he appointed...
Man Dies 2 Days After $2.6M Verdict in Montana Mine Lawsuit
Nov 9 2018 // A man who fought for more than a decade to maintain his rights to a mining claim in northwestern Montana died two days after a jury awarded him nearly $2.6 million. A Lincoln County jury awarded the money to Arnold Bakie...
North Carolina Emerald Mine Robbed of $100K in Rare Gems
Oct 29 2018 // A heist has wiped a North Carolina emerald mine out of an estimated $100,000 in rare precious gems and gold jewelry. An Alexander County Sheriff’s Office release says thieves broke into, vandalized and robbed Emerald...
Injury Rates Jump at Coal Giant Murray’s West Virginia Mines
Oct 26 2018 // Injury rates have more than doubled at five West Virginia coal mines acquired by Murray Energy Corp. in 2013, according to a Reuters review of federal data, as the firm sharply increased the amount of coal produced per...
Kentucky Fines Justice Companies Additional $3M Over Coal Mine Clean-Ups
Aug 24 2018 // West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s family coal companies are breaching their environmental responsibilities, according to Kentucky regulators, who are seeking millions in additional fines for surface mining areas...
Safety Agency Finds 10% of Veteran Coal Miners Have Black Lung Disease
Jul 20 2018 // More than 10 percent of America’s coal miners with 25 or more years of experience have black lung disease, the highest rate recorded in roughly two decades, according to a government study released on Thursday that...
Kentucky Coal Mine Supervisors Face Charges Over Rigged Dust Monitoring
Jul 16 2018 // Eight former supervisors and safety officers at a Kentucky coal company were indicted on federal charges that they rigged dust monitoring in underground mines, forcing miners to work in the kind of dirty conditions that...
West Virginia Coal Miner Killed on Job Site
Jun 11 2018 // West Virginia regulators say a 43-year-old coal miner has been killed on the job. The Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training says shuttle car operator Ronald R. Taylor of Belington died of head injuries when...
Coal Industry Tax Cut Threatens Miners’ Benefits Fund as Black Lung Cases Surge
Jun 1 2018 // As a young man, Barry Shrewsbury dug coal in the West Virginia mines and spent his time off hunting and fishing in the rolling hills. Now, at 62, he struggles to breathe and accomplish basic tasks such as shopping and...
2 Dead, 3 Trapped at Polish Mine After Quake
May 6 2018 // Rescue teams have confirmed the death of a second Polish coal miner and are searching for three more trapped nearly a kilometer underground after a quake, the chief executive of the mine owner said. The quake hit the...
Jury Awards $67M to Kentucky Miners Over Defective 3M Masks
Apr 30 2018 // Two former coal miners in Kentucky who claimed defective dust masks led to their debilitating black-lung disease were awarded $67.5 million in damages in their civil lawsuit. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that a...
Lawsuit Filed Against Mine Safety Agency Over 2010 West Virginia Mine Blast
Apr 10 2018 // A lawsuit filed by a West Virginia miner’s widow says the Mine Safety and Health Administration didn’t do enough to stop the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Carolyn Diana...
Work Begins to Reopen Idaho Mine Following Settlement
Mar 14 2018 // A northern Idaho mine could be put back into operation following the settlement of a federal lawsuit against the mine’s owner. The Spokesman-Review reported a settlement agreement was filed Monday in federal court in...
Anglo American’s Ruptured Pipeline Is 2nd Mine Incident in Brazil in 2018
Mar 13 2018 // Anglo American Plc’s Brazilian iron-ore mine suffered operational delays after a pipeline ruptured Monday morning, the company confirmed by email. The good news is that no one was hurt, the company said. The...
Study: Black Lung Cases Among Appalachian Coal Miners On the Rise
Mar 5 2018 // A new research letter published in a medical journal details hundreds of cases of black lung disease in the Central Appalachian coalfields. Three clinics in southwestern Virginia identified 416 coal miners with the disease...
Coal Company Cited for Safety Issues in Wyoming Miner’s Death
Feb 16 2018 // Rocky Mountain Power has been cited with a safety violation for the death of a miner in September. Jaimie Olivas was killed in the Bridger Underground Coal Mine when part of a wall of coal collapsed on him. The Casper...
