If conditions remain unchanged, West Virginia faces the worst fire season in 20 years and could lose as much as 4 percent of its forests to flames. The hottest, driest summer in recent memory has left a big chunk of …
Underground coal miners in the United States are facing a new and apparently growing safety threat: the theft of emergency air packs. Authorities say the devices have been disappearing from mines, particularly in the state of West Virginia, the nation’s …
The state Department of Environmental Protection said it is launching a broad review of West Virginia’s 250 or so underground coal mines after one operation mined beyond its permit and – perhaps – inside the safety zone of a waste …
Failing to perform a pre-shift examination at a West Virginia coal mine is going to cost a Massey Energy Co. subsidiary $50,000. U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. fined Richmond, Va.-based Massey’s White Buck Coal Co. that amount Wednesday …
Federal inspectors missed obvious problems and failed to follow procedures at the Sago Mine in West Virginia and two other underground coal mines where 19 men died in high-profile accidents last year, the Mine Safety and Health Administration said. Numerous …
Federal inspectors missed obvious problems and failed to follow procedures before three high-profile accidents that killed 19 men at underground coal mines in West Virginia and Kentucky last year, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration. An internal accountability …
A ban on using so-called belt air ventilation is among numerous provisions in sweeping coal mine safety legislation introduced in the U.S. House this week. Other provisions would speed the installation of better underground communication systems and airtight refuge chambers …
The federal mine safety agency said it has warned eight mining operations across the country that they may face sanctions as repeat violators of health and safety rules. The list includes coal operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama, as …
Emergency shelters are about to become a reality in West Virginia coal mines. The state Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training is expected to approve the first underground shelter designs this week, Randy Harris, the agency’s engineering consultant, said …
The families of the Sago Mine victims aren’t the only ones who want more answers from the state about what went wrong Jan. 2. The United Mine Workers says the state’s theory is “cockamamie” and begs either solid proof or …
