Latest Mining Headlines
All the headlines from our Mining Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
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...
