A southern West Virginia mine foreman faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to falsifying safety reports at four mining operations. Federal prosecutors say 36-year-old Craig Belcher of Bluefield pleaded guilty Monday to providing a false statement, …
State inspectors have issued 45 violations at a West Virginia coal mine since two men died there earlier this month, including one for negligently rigging the switch on a hoist with a piece of wood and a rusty bolt, according …
West Virginia regulators have revised a proposed rule that would increase fines for mine safety and health violations. The original proposal would have raised the civil penalties across the board. The revised rule filed this week with the Secretary of …
State standards aimed at reducing buildups of explosive coal dust in underground mines but regulators haven’t been enforced in West Virginia. More than a fifth of the more than 5,500 dust samples taken from mines by state regulators since August …
A rule that could toughen the limits on methane gas levels in West Virginia coal mines remains stalled as state officials debate both definitions and a timetable for implementation. The State Journal said last week’s meeting of the state Board …
A longtime mine inspector and safety official will now head such efforts in West Virginia, after Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Eugene White as director for the Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training. White most recently has been the …
West Virginia mine regulators have failed to meet internal goals for timely inspections and permits, a legislative audit concluded, but agency officials disagree with the auditors over why. The report released this week to lawmakers blames vacancies and turnover for …
A federal appeals court said this week that the state Supreme Court should decide whether Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors can be held liable for coal miners’ deaths, calling it “a matter of exceptional importance for West Virginia.” The …
The Mine Safety and Health Administration says it issued 254 citations, 19 orders and one safeguard during special inspections at West Virginia coal mines last month. Among those targeted was Argus Energy’s Deep Mine No. 8 in Wayne County, where …
Coal producer Alpha Natural Resources says it has taken steps to avoid coal-dust violations of the kind that investigators say caused the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine explosion that killed 29 men, according to a letter the Bristol, Va.-based company …
