Surprise Coal Mine Inspections: Feds Target 57 'Problem' Mines

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nearly 60 problem U.S. coal mines have been hit with surprise inspections aimed at preventing another explosion like the one that killed 29 miners in West Virginia, the nation's chief mine safety regulator said Wednesday.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration did not immediately reveal how many problems were found during the weekend crackdown. A spokeswoman said that information is still being compiled.

The raids targeted 57 mines, including 23 in West Virginia and 14 in Kentucky and involved 275 federal inspectors, MSHA said. Eight of the mines belong to Massey Energy Co., a $4.17 billion company that ranks among the largest coal producers in the United States.

Investigators suspect methane gas and excessive coal dust caused the massive April 5 blast at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine.

"The purpose of these inspections is to provide assurance that no imminent dangers, explosions, hazards or other serious health or safety conditions and practices are present at these mines," MSHA director Joe Main said.

Rick Abraham, whose mine was on the inspection list, defended his operation and blamed politics for forcing an unnecessary crackdown.

"The problem in the industry today is the professionals are being brow beaten by politicians. The know they would be better off in a more workable atmosphere without the press of politicians and headline seekers," Abraham said. "The employees are on edge, everybody's on edge and it's from people who don't know what the hell they're talking about."

MSHA said it targeted mines with a history of serious violations and focused on rules covering methane, ventilation and efforts to control coal dust.

A National Mining Association spokesman declined to comment. Massey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Among the Massey operations on the list are the Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine, where two men were killed in a conveyer belt fire in 2006. Massey eventually paid $4.2 million in civil and criminal penalties because of the fire. Also on the list was Massey's Tiller No. 1 mine in Virginia, which MSHA warned to clean up its act last October or face stricter discipline for having a pattern of serious violations.

Comments

[AngryCitizen]

03:19 PM on 04/22/2010

I am now an author who writes fiction novels. One of them is titled, "Condor One," about the first openly gay president of the United States. In it he addresses this issue in brief and the solution proposed in part is one that I feel is necessary: When a mine is written up and a fine issued, the mine either pays the fine or is closed down until it is paid. Every mine operator has the right to contest a fine and bring it in front of an Administrative Law Judge set up for that purpose. While this is going on, they don't have to pay the fines....they can drag this is for some time. This results in hundreds of thousands in unpaid fines while the mine just hums along like nothing ever happened. In Condor One, the president proposes that the fines be paid and IF the Judge finds for the mine operator, the fine is returned to the operator or owner. THIS would be effective enforcement of the mine safety regulations.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

01:31 PM on 04/22/2010

In Coal Country, a Culture of Fear
Massey Intimidates Workers, Families Into Silence
By Mike Lillis
The Washington Independent
4/22/10

"...Charleston, W.Va. — Two weeks after the horrific explosion that killed 29 coal miners in southern West Virginia, it’s business as usual for the owner of the project.

Massey Energy, the Virginia-based coal giant that runs the Upper Big Branch Mine, has denied time off for miners to attend their friends’ funerals; has rejected makeshift memorials outside the mine site; and, in at least one case, required a worker to go on shift even though the fate of a relative — one of the victims of the April 5 disaster — remained unknown at the time, according to some family members and other sources familiar with those episodes. In short, the company might be taking heat for putting profits and efficiency above its workers, but it doesn’t appear to have changed its tune in the wake of the worst mining tragedy in 40 years.

“They told my husband, ‘You’ve got a job to do and you’re gonna do it,’” said the wife of one Massey miner, referring to the funerals he’s missed this month for friends who died in the blast. “What else are we gonna do?...”

http://washingtonindependent.com/82941/in-coal-county-a-culture-of-fear

[JohnBryansFontaine]

01:11 PM on 04/22/2010

Blankenship's Lies continue:

Coal miner Massey denies "wilful disregard" in blast
Reporting by Steve James; Editing by Derek Caney
Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2225466520100422?type=marketsNews

[advocatusdiaboli]

12:44 PM on 04/22/2010

I love this twisted propaganda worthy of Hermann Goehring:
"The problem in the industry today is the professionals are being brow beaten by politicians. The know they would be better off in a more workable atmosphere without the press of politicians and headline seekers," Abraham said. "The employees are on edge, everybody's on edge and it's from people who don't know what the hell they're talking about."

that fact is the problem isn't the industry--its the behavior of mine owners/operators who long for the robber baron days of the US when they could pretty much do anything an call it legal. In those days, if there was danger of a cave in, the operators removed the mules and let the men pull/push the carts--mules cost more to replace than men. Reagan, by busting the unions, has effectively put us back there with disposable miners. And the Tea Party worship that hateful, despicable boob.

[Durango]

12:50 PM on 04/22/2010

Yeah, the Unions know more about mine safety than anyone.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

01:20 PM on 04/22/2010

The United Mine Workers of America cares more about mine safety than anyone. Certainly way more than Don Blankenship.

http://www.umwa.org/

[Independent Patroit]

12:43 PM on 04/22/2010

Sure the Miners are scared, they are scared to be un-employed just like the rest of us but, the safety violations need to be corrected and should never have been called to question in my opinion if politicians like the magnificant Ronald Regan had kept his big nose out of Union business, he should have been a one term president, but many look upon him a great President...so was Martin Van Buren, Herbert Hoover, Warren G. Harding, and Jimmy Carter.........for a few months.

Mines need to have rules that are enforceable, if there are rules and they are not enforced, then those that have the jobs to enforce them should be un-employed, not the miners. If the company who are employing the miners turn their heads to safety issues, the company CEO should be put into jail along with any company employee that agreed with the CEO, for it is the employees that are working for the CEO that let him know what is good and bad.

[veracity]

11:34 AM on 04/22/2010

< Feds SURPRISE [Inspections at] 57 'Problem' Mines...
Nearly 60 problem U.S. coal mines have been hit with SUPRISE INSPECTIONS aimed at preventing another explosion like the one that killed 29 miners in West Virginia, the nation's chief mine safety regulator said Wednesday. >

That's "SURPRISING" -

After all, we thought that what with the Mine Safety & Health Admin. BEING UNDER CONTROL of the PELOSI & OBAMA a so-called "Democratic" government - WE THOUGHT THAT THEIR JOB,

(Like Obama & Pelosi's SEC, and DoJ, and FDIC oversight commissions, and Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Inspector-General positions)

___ was to TAKE our taxpayer money (pay as govt. officials) to __NOT__ do anything !!___


That is CERTAINLY the contention of the letter Jane Hamsher & Grover Norquist sent to ERIC HOLDER, Mr. Obama's ATTORNEY GENERAL at the "Justice" Department
http://www.libertycoalition.net/norquist-hamsher-letter-holder-end-corruption-fred
http://firedoglake.com/2009/12/23/jane-hamsher-grover-norquist-call-for-rahm-emmanuel%E2%80%99s-resignation/

....saying that the Obama White House, er, the Rahm Emanuel White House, has been BLOCKING the appointment of an Inspector General at Freddie Mac
(thereby making those who work under the IG there into effectively toothless tigers, DRAWING PAY, but NOT doing anything)
so as to PREVENT any details coming out about Rahm Emanuel's tenure as a Director at Freddie Mac... about the time THE FRAUD CHARGES started piling up against Freddie Mac?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-rahm-emanuel-profit-26-mar26,0,5682373.story

[jws2346]

11:23 AM on 04/22/2010

HooRay! I'm glad to see the Fed coal mine inspectors get off their arses and do some more inspecting.The only problem I see is, I was under the impression that after an inspection the owners of said mines bollixed up the court system and delayed or negated any inspection anyhoo?

[Durango]

01:15 PM on 04/22/2010

It is not the inspectors that are the problem.

It is getting their citations of violations fixed.

The problem? Like everyone doesn't know.

8 years of Bush/Cheney/Republican management.

Or rather, make that 8 years of mismanagement.

[wonketteRAWKS]

10:51 AM on 04/22/2010

Of course, only after a tragedy.

[carew977]

10:48 AM on 04/22/2010

If the union thug leadership would stop br1bing the Socialist Party and do their job, then maybe they would stop k1lling their own workers.

[elbzee]

10:53 AM on 04/22/2010

Kinda early in the day to be hitting the pipe, dont'cha think carew977

[OB08]

10:54 AM on 04/22/2010

Get your facts right before you post and stop being ignorant. The mine that killed those people in VA is not unionised. Union mines are the safest.

[WonderfulLife]

10:36 AM on 04/22/2010

The way miners are treated sounds a lot more like a news story from the late 1800's instead of 2010.

[jdrourke]

10:36 AM on 04/22/2010

Keep these surprise inspections going! Lives will be saved, and in the end, owners will have no choice but to finally start respecting the claims of their workers.

http://jdrourke.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/dear-toyota/

[WonderfulLife]

10:33 AM on 04/22/2010

If they have nothing to hide...then they should welcome the opportunity to show that they have a clean mine and that it is safe.
Whoever is behind these unannounced inspections-THANK YOU.
Those miners put their lives on the line every day and I cannot think of anything more disrespectful than to tell a man that he has no value and that profits are more important than his safety.

[pinkpantheroz]

10:33 AM on 04/22/2010

NOW the inspectors find all this stuff? Where were they BEFORE the tragedy? The overseeing authority needs more inspectors and more teeth to counter the Coal Lobby's hold on the legislators.

[gilbskg]

10:56 AM on 04/22/2010

There were inspections before the recent tragedy, that's why Massey was fighting hundreds of thousands of fine fees.

[G52]

11:15 AM on 04/22/2010

Those charged with overseeing mine safety have been watered down and understaffed. [sometimes with those from the industry who were offenders themselves] Deregulation fanatics in politics can be blamed for that. OSHA has a similar problem!

[GodBlessAmerica]

10:25 AM on 04/22/2010

Given that horrible explosion, the mine manager's comment that the mines (I assume) are being "brow beaten by politicians and headline seekers" seems pathetic and desperate.

[1laingirl]

10:22 AM on 04/22/2010

Now that SCOTUS says these corporations are "persons," shouldn't we be putting some of these persons in prisons? Regulations need to be changed where the unsafe mines can be closed until the violations are fixed and penalties are paid. The states close down restaurants all the time for violations that may potentially, but rarely, kill someone.