Latest Mining Headlines
All the headlines from our Mining Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Inspections Uncover Serious Safety Violations; 6 Kentucky Mines Closed
May 10 2010 // Hundreds of serious violations were discovered at 57 troubled U.S. coal mines during surprise inspections just days after the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years, federal regulators said recently. Six...
West Virginia Mulls Second Mine Inspection Agency
May 7 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...
2 Miners Missing After Kentucky Coal Mine Roof Collapse
Apr 30 2010 // Two miners were missing Thursday and rescuers were unable to contact them after a roof collapsed in a large underground coal mine in western Kentucky, company and union officials said. Rescue crews were in the mine on...
More Investors Suing Massey Directors Over West Virginia Mine Tragedy
Apr 30 2010 // Institutional investors are continuing to target Massey Energy’s board of directors over an explosion that killed 29 coal miners earlier this month. The New Jersey Building Laborers Pension Fund blames Chairman Don...
Massey Says West Virginia Mine Was Clear of Gases Before Explosion
Apr 28 2010 // Air samples did not show high levels of explosive gases just before an explosion in a West Virginia coal mine that killed 29 workers, and what caused the disaster remains unknown, the mine’s owner said. Massey Energy...
Relatives of West Virginia Mine Blast Victims Will Be Compensated
Apr 27 2010 // Massey Energy says it will provide financial packages providing health care and other benefits for the families of 29 miners killed in the nation’s worst mining disaster in 40 years. Massey officials announced Monday...
Safety Violations Found at Massey Mines Since Blast
Apr 20 2010 // Federal inspectors have found more than 60 serious safety violations at Massey Energy operations since the explosion that killed 29 miners, adding to fallout from the disaster that includes a wrongful death lawsuit by one...
