Utah Mine Owner Will Skip Congressional Hearing

The owner of the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah where six workers were trapped by a cave-in a month ago will not be appearing at a Senate hearing on mine safety Wednesday in Washington.

A witness list released Tuesday by Sen. Robert Byrd's (D-W.Va.) office said mine owner Robert E. Murray would not attend the hearing. Byrd, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, had earlier invited the mine owner to appear to discuss "The Utah Mine Disaster and Preventing Future Tragedies."

In a statement e-mailed to The Huffington Post, Murray Energy spokesman Rob Moore said "Mr. Murray cannot give the situation in Utah the proper attention it needs if he travels to Washington to testify."

Federal mine safety chief Richard Stickler, National Mining Association Vice President Bruce Watzman, United Mineworkers of America President Cecil Roberts, and Clinton Administration mine safety chief J. Davitt McAteer have all said they will appear at the hearing Wednesday.

Lawmakers have launched several probes into the tragedy at Crandall Canyon. Wednesday's hearing will be the first time experts on mine safety will be questioned on Capitol Hill since the initial collapse at Crandall Canyon on Aug. 6.

Six coal miners at Crandall Canyon were trapped underground when a section of the mine they were working in collapsed. Three rescue workers were killed in a subsequent cave-in while working to free the trapped miners.

On Aug. 31, 25 days after the initial collapse, mine safety officials halted their rescue efforts, saying they had no options left.

--Max Follmer is a Staff Writer at The Huffington Post. He can be reached at [e-mail]

Comments

[DDA]

Handcuff the puke Bastard and then chage him with MURDER as well profits before human life.

If that fails lets put a 5,000,000 reward on his head to be brought in DEAD only and facial features must be recognized what the hell the low life is a repukulan so even the 5,000,000 is to much how about we do it for pleasure low life white trailer trash like this jerk desrve nothing but contempt and scorn.

[timeforachangenow]

all hail the almighty power of the dollar!!!

is it...

TimeforachangeNOW

[Mike169]

I don't suppose anyone remembers Thorne Auchter. He was appointed to head OSHA under Ronald Reagan. His qualifications were that as head of a Florida construction company he had been fined numerous times for failing to provide for worker safety on his construction sites. Such is the concern of the Republicans for the health and safety of the American worker.

[drblack]

NeoCONS and neoliberals will always allow the rich big business guy off the hook. Bush and Hillary are exactly the same in this regard.
I hope the Miners families who voted for Bush will realize how their vote helped gut the safety of all workers.

[kittycago]

I watched the last hearing where he openly accused Senator Boxer of spewing figures from the union and was openly hostile to the senate committee democrats.I 'm sure Senator Boxer would be happy to give him a command performance request.

[Macready]

but of course . .. no culpability and no responsibility . . . the true neocon spirit that is eating like a cancer into the fabric of American life.

[chazaroo]

Beyond the death of the miners, who were put in life threatening circumstances just so this fat pierce of shit could make another sheckel, the CM (Corporate Media) that gave him a platform to finger point, should be reviled.

[MikeMidCity]

Murray is a very sad PIG. Living off the blood of working men.

Or does that just make him a Republican?

[Mike169]

It just makes him a capitalist.

[guajiro]

Federal mine safety chief Richard Stickler and National Mining Association Vice President Bruce Watzman must be furious that the union, the United MineWorkers of America, and it's President Cecil Roberts will be there. As Mr. Roberts previously said; "By denying the families any participation in this investigation, MSHA is ensuring that it will be investigating itself. ... American coal miners deserve better," he said. "The Crandall Canyon families have questions that demand answers. Why was the mining plan at Crandall Canyon submitted by Murray Energy when the previous owners of that mine declined to mine the same way, saying there was a problem with 'protection of personnel?' Why did MSHA approve it?"
MSHA even went so far as to deny the families that the union represent them, even though the families themselves signaled intent that they want the union to represent them. As Dalpiaz, a longtime union leader in Utah said; ""Right now, these families have no voice whatsoever because the mine operator [Murray Energy Corp.] and MSHA have a joint problem in what happened," said Dalpiaz.
I for one intend to keep track of what the elected officials allow MSHA and Murray to get away with.

[fightorleave2]

When will we remember that what earned us (Americans) respect around the world was our freedom. Freedom which requires respect (dignity) for the individual person, worker and thing.

[chronic]

Should the US congress now be considered irrelevant?

[geobushono]

HEY BOB!!!wait 'til we get our turn at the plate.......JAIL, Bob.

[helonias]

Why would one of the 5 finest Americans have to appear before anyone, including the lord.

He paid his 13 pieces of silver to Sen Mitch and lots of others.

Doesn't that mean anything?

[getoffmedz]

Murray is a chickenshit murdering greedy asshole who deserves an indictment, not an "invitation."

Another example of the GOP protecting their own criminals.

Senator Robert Byrd cannot retire soon enough!

and blaze - neither the USGS or the State of Utah seismic instruments detected anything but a collapsing mine.

[minervoice]

When Byrd retires, coal miners will mourn. As Cecil Roberts says, "Robert Byrd is the best friend coal miners ever had in Congress." No one there to replace him from our perspective.

[blaze]

Where is the "seismic bump" confirmed? Every story that I read (and I must admit that I had to give up early on this one because of extensive nausea) explained that there was no seismic activity except that which was created by the collapse of the mine.
Is this another example of successful revisionism?