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

[foolme1ns]

Robert Byrd is from Virginia, so this begs the question, how much of Byrd does Bob Murray own?????

Make no mistake, Bob Murray is a bigggg, powerful man who has bought up an awful lot of political capital in Washington. He bought George Bush, and Mitch McConnell, and I will lay dollars to donuts that he owns a big chunk of Robert Byrd.

Otherwise, he would have been subpeonaed, not INVITED to attend!!!! Nice that a murderer has so much pull in our government. What money won't buy.

[minervoice]

First of all, Robert Byrd is from West Virginia, not Virginia. I understand some west coasties and NYC-types may not get the difference, but...

Second, Byrd has far and away the most effective voice for coal mine health and safety for the last 40 years. Ask any coal miner who has been paying attention -- they'll tell you that.

Third, Byrd WILL fry Murray when and if he has the balls to show up before a Senate Committee.

Lastly, you don't understand about these kind of hearings. No one was subpoenaed, and no one will be. This is not an investigative hearing, this is a fact-finding hearing for appropriations purposes. Essentially a chance for Senators on the Approp. committee to weigh in on this before anyone else does. The tougher ones will come later from Kennedy (Senate) and Miller (House). Those will (should) have subpoenas attached to those who don't show up.

[Misanthrope2]

If he was owned, he wouldn't have called for the hearing. I don't know of anybody that owns Byrd.

[loki]

He is going to sit at home and send in a written testimony on several checks. Its a very effective way with this congress.

[TNFarmer]

Ouch! loki, your comment was hurtful. But then again, isn't the truth always painful when dealing with this bunch?

[realitytrumpsbull]

Retrain the miners to be tele-operators, and send the robots into the mines...machinery can be replaced or rebuilt, when a human gets squished flat, well, then you have to make complex teary-eyed explanations to the family as to why it happened, complicated stories about gravity, the inherent hazards of being foolhardy enough to dig 1/2 mile down into the earth, evacuate the material you want, and then expect the roof not to fall in...

Coal is mined to provide energy, mainly electrical power. Maybe we should get 'gooder' at finding safer, less lethal ways of getting our energy...maybe retrain the rest of the miners to set up solar electrical systems, and mine for photons instead...

[thegreatgiginthesky]

The field of robotics has not progressed to the level where we have sophisticated robots that can perform such a task as coal mining. The cost of the Robots and the price of maintaning them would not be feasible. I think your idea has merit, but there is no way to do it at the present time.

[Misanthrope2]

The humans killed in mining aren't that expensive compared to the value of the minerals mined. In the worst case, it might be a million dollars a minor, based on a recent payment after a mine disaster. In a better case for the owner, workers compensation could limit the payment to three or four hundred thousand dollars. And not that many miners die each year from accidents. Many more die later from the effects on their lungs and organs.

[mommadona]

WELL, WILL CONGRESS TELL THEIR 'SARGENT AT ARMS' TO HAUL THIS DUDE'S ASS IN AND HOLD HIM THERE UNTIL HE DECIDES TO 'COOPERATE'?

THEY HAVE THE TOOL.
THEY HAVE THE PROCESS.
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT.
THEY HAVE THE DUTY.

Use it or lose it.

[YellowSpringer]

C'mon Max, please stop repeating the standard Cover-Your-Ass line about a 'seismic bump'. Anyone who's followed this story from the beginning knows the 'seismic bump' was the collapse of the mine - a direct result of risky and profit-driven 'retreat' mining practices. Tell it like it was instead of continuing to mislead those who are new to the story.

[TXfemmom]

Subpoena the bastard, and drag him in, if he fails to appear.

[IMORPHEUS]

Well, if you had occasion to watch this clown Murray, at his last Congressional hearing, you'd understand his reticence about appearing, in the aftermath of the Utah mine collapse...

When he last appeared, Senator Boxer lit into Murray over his safety record, like a tick boring into his pimpled ass, and he didn't handle it well, getting in a shouting match over his safety record, disrupting the proceedings and basically having a meltdown...no, I think he'll wait for his subpoenas...

[Misanthrope2]

He also tried to portray himself as the protector of the working man and his job, and the lone defender against the insane United Mine Workers. He lies every time his lips move.

[azpaull]

I'm trying to picture the Q&A between Roberts Byrd and Murray. Time limits would be useless, and it would be useless for any other Senator or witness to expect to get a word in edgewise.

[tricky69]

That scumbag Murray should be at the hearing to answer questions about all the hundreds of safety violations his mine received over the last few years. Of course the spineless Congress is just a distraction and has little if any power to do anything about it. They threaten to do things, and when their feet are held to the fire, they show their true colors. They're all bark, and no bite. They don't represent we the people. They service the elites and Israel, as well as corporate interests, here and abroad.

[GhostTurdOf America]

Thank Bush for relaxing the rules and not enforcing the fines.

[RubberDuck]

He also ought to be forced to appear before a judge.

[Misanthrope2]

Indict him and his company for manslaughter. And an argument can be made that it is murder, with malice supplied by ignoring a deadly risk while retreat mining.

[minervoice]

Too bad--the fireworks from Roberts & Murray going head-to-head would have been tremendous. But Congress will have other bites at this apple. Murray can run from this one but he can't hide forever. The truth about him and his blatant disregard for mine safety laws and labor laws will come out.

[Graywolf48]

Does anyone think Congress is relevant anymore? Want me to testify, sorry, I'm too busy to waste my time with you guys. There once was a time Congress struck fear into those requested to testify. Not any more. What a disgrace. Whatever happened to all those subpoenas for files and testimony from the White House and Cheney? Also ignored? We now have a unitarian executive government. I see no reason to continue to pay Congress people, they certainly aren't earning a paycheck.

[amanda85]

There is only one party, the Corporate Nazi Party of America, commonly referred to as "republicrats"...
Workers can go to hell, nobody cares anymore. Unions have been totally castrated.
Hillary is not going to change anything, she's just another corporate puppet...

[GhostTurdOf America]

True. Nothing will change.

[Grunty1]

That is why they MUST subpeona and arrest anyone who resists. They have the power and legal right to do so, it needs to be exercised.

[rras]

Oh don't you worry Mr Robert E. Murray will be be appearing. If there's one thing we've seen about that guy is that he just can't stop talking. When he watches the hearings, and you know he will his ass will catch fire when everyone blames him and the industry that he's such a huge part of. I hope the lawyers have their recorders running.

[FDRbyGodDemocrat]

...and he'll be there with coveralls and coal smudges on his face, saying he just crawled out of the mountain looking for survivors.

[TNFarmer]

And his respectful declination to appear before the nation again with his spin comes as a surprise? Duh!

I agree, subpoena his fat arse - along with the Government's Brownies of the mining world.

[RubberDuck]

Yep. Haul 'em all in.

[Janco54]

They need to subpoena his sorry ass and make him appear or be arrested.
If, in fact, the recovery efforts have been suspended, why can he not travel to Washington? I'll tell you why - he's a lying coward and he knows what will happen if he does show up.

[unemployedprogressive]

Frankly, what does it matter if that corporate clown attends? All you will get from the guy is his impression of Alberto Gonzales. The people who need to have their feet held to the congressional fire are the stooges from MSHA.