Latest Mining Headlines
All the headlines from our Mining Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mine Owner Massey Kept 2 Sets of Safety Records: NPR
Jun 29 2011 // The owners of the West Virginia coal mine where 29 men died in a blast last year kept two sets of safety records, one that it concealed from federal safety officials, National Public Radio reported Wednesday, The...
3 Men Rescued from Collapsed Kentucky Mine
Jun 22 2011 // Three men who spent more than half a day trapped underground in a flooded southeastern Kentucky coal mine waded out and were on their way home after just a quick hospital evaluation. Relief was on the faces of Pernell...
Mining Rule on Coal Dust Becomes Permanent
Jun 22 2011 // Federal regulators are making permanent an emergency rule implemented last year requiring underground mines to do more to control explosive coal dust. The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced the final rule this...
Coal Industry Blasts New Federal Mine Safety Rules
Jun 9 2011 // Coal industry officials this week roundly criticized two sets of new safety rules proposed by federal regulators following an explosion that killed 29 West Virginia miners last year. The West Virginia Coal Association and...
Massey Criticizes Federal Report on West Virginia Mine Disaster
Jun 6 2011 // The company that owned the coal mine where 29 miners died in the worst U.S. mining disaster in four decades concluded the explosion was the result of unpreventable natural gas buildup and not coal dust, contradicting the...
Feds Demand Workplace Injury Records from Mining Firms
May 26 2011 // An administrative law judge has ordered two major coal producers, Massey Energy Co. and Peabody Energy Corp., to turn over information about coal mine accidents, injuries and work-related illnesses, federal regulators...
Black Lung Disease Rising Again Among U.S. Miners
May 23 2011 // Black lung disease, long a killer of coal miners, is on the rise again after retreating in the 30 years since Congress passed tougher mine safety laws, health and safety experts said Friday. The renewed appearance of the...
Mine Owner Massey Blamed for Deadly West Virginia Blast
May 19 2011 // The worst U.S. coal mine accident in four decades, in which 29 miners died, was “man-made” and could have been avoided if the mine owner, Massey Energy Co , had followed basic safety measures, an independent...
Boys Drive Excavator at Pennsylvania Mine, Smash Bulldozer
Apr 27 2011 // Pennsylvania State police say two boys, ages 12 and 9, drove a large excavator at a southwestern Pennsylvania strip mine, smashing a bulldozer in the process. Police say the 12-year-old will be charged with felony criminal...
Feds, Shareholders at Odds Over West Virginia Mine Blast Documents
Mar 22 2011 // Federal prosecutors want to block Massey Energy Co. shareholders from reviewing documents gathered during civil and criminal investigations into last April’s deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West...
Wrongful Death Suits Filed Against Massey Over West Virginia Mine Blast
Mar 8 2011 // The families of two coal miners killed in the Upper Big Branch mine blast in West Virginia last year filed wrongful death lawsuits against the mine’s owner, Massey Energy Co, saying it was a “catastrophe...
Security Officer at Massey West Virginia Mine Charged in Probe
Mar 1 2011 // The head of security at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine was arrested Monday on charges he impeded investigators and lied to them as they probed an explosion at the West Virginia mine that killed 29...
Mine Operators Oppose New Safety Rules
Feb 21 2011 // Planned new U.S. mine safety rules will raise costs for mining companies that already spent close to $1 billion between them upgrading safety measures four years ago, the mine industry said. “It’s challenging...
Wild Weather Could Push Miners to Heed Insurers’ Warnings; Reassess Risks
Feb 8 2011 // A surge in weather-related disasters in Australia could push global mining firms to overhaul supply contracts and rethink how bad weather will affect their operations and customers worldwide. Climate scientists say a...
If you show me your opinion, I’ll show you mine
Jan 26 2011 // Come along for the ride as we take a look at how different generations value (or don’t value) other’s opinions on social media and what this means to the insurance industry. How would you respond to the...
Equipment, Coal Dust Caused West Virginia Mine Blast: Probe
Jan 20 2011 // Federal investigators said Wednesday a small fire caused by a methane or natural gas leak likely set off a massive blast of coal dust that killed 29 miners at Massey Energy’s coal mine in West Virginia last...
Pennsylvania Insurance Program for Homes Above Mines Active
Jan 13 2011 // As many as 1 million Pennsylvania homes sit above abandoned coal mines, yet a state-subsidized insurance program for mine subsidence has issued only 58,000 policies. Abandoned mines are in 43 of Pennsylvania’s 67...
Mine Safety Agency Wins Order Over Unsafe Massey Mine in Kentucky
Jan 6 2011 // Federal mine safety officials have won a settlement with Massey Energy that requires the firm to immediately take safety measures at one of its mines in Kentucky that federal officials say is very dangerous. The U.S....
Heavy Rains, Floods Disrupt Australia Coal Mining, Port, Freight Operations
Dec 29 2010 // Heavy rains and flooding in Australia’s key coal-producing Queensland state have impacted mining operations and brought parts of the coal infrastructure, including rail and ports, to a standstill, operators said on...
Inspections Reducing Mine Safety Violations: U.S. Official
Dec 28 2010 // Conducting special inspections to crack down on mines with poor safety records appears to be working, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said last week. The agency said it issued 250 citations and orders...
