FBI Investigating Fed Officials And Massey Energy Over Possibly Bribery

NPR News reports that the FBI is investigating the possible bribery of federal officials overseeing mining industry regulation by Massey Energy, the owner of the Upper Big Branch mine that exploded three weeks ago, killing 29 miners.

"The Mine Safety and Health Administration is the target of a federal criminal investigation," NPR notes, and "FBI agents are also exploring potential criminal negligence on the part of Massey Energy."

The nation's top mine safety official told lawmakers earlier this week that the government will start going directly to federal court to shut down mines that make a habit of ignoring safety.

Joe Main, director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said his agency has had the power to seek federal injunctions for years, but has never tried to use it.

"I can't speak for past administrations," Main said during the Senate's first hearing on the accident that killed 29 men. "We're going to use it."

Main also called for a slew of other legal and regulatory reforms to beef up safety enforcement in the wake of this month's deadly explosion at a mine in West Virginia.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee convened the hearing to look at weaknesses in current laws that encourage mine operators and companies in other industries to challenge safety violations to delay stiffer penalties.

Comments

[springsm]

10:43 PM on 05/14/2010

Oh my, if this is true, there had better be some heads rolling and cell doors clanging. Mine accidents do happen, but these were almost to the tune of murder. Who heads up the MMS department under Salazar. Wow...this could be huge.

[CH0001]

10:33 PM on 05/14/2010

Money talks and human life has become a secondary concern to wealth accumulation in this degenerate country.

Mark my words, these guys will inevitably walk away with a slap on the wrist.

Our country is headed on a downward spiral of greed that will destroy it. The capitalist experiment has failed.

[Amalek]

10:41 PM on 05/14/2010

No, the Man is ruthless enough to throw a few of their own under the bus to keep the torches and pitchforks at bay.

[GrizzlyBowman]

10:09 PM on 05/14/2010

What is going through their heads when companies ignore dangers like this for so long? Do they really believe nothing will happen, and there will be no fallout when the inevitable disaster finally arrives?

[mostlyharmless]

10:36 PM on 05/14/2010

it'd be nice if they just thought about how people could get hurt

but then people get hurt at massey mines all the time, at at least twice the national average

maybe they should have thought about STOPPING hurting people?

[CigarGod]

10:09 PM on 05/14/2010

Bribes are political donations.
Bet they don't go after politicians.

[aflyinyoursoup]

09:35 PM on 05/14/2010

"...NPR News reports that the FBI is investigating the possible bribery of federal officials...."

Holyshitbatman, does that mean that the FBI is investigating congress?

Don't be a silly goose, Robin!

[babyboomerorig]

09:16 PM on 05/14/2010

My, oh, my....what a mess they've gotten themselves into, right Stanley?

I just hope it's taken all the way and not given any sort of special treatment of any kind....nuttin', nada, zip!

[Amalek]

10:37 PM on 05/14/2010

It will be. Cheney is no longer at the helm.

[chlai88]

08:58 PM on 05/14/2010

These guys asked for it. They had their chance at self-regulation & they blew it. Bribery, if true. is the last straw. Now don't complain about being weighed down by the bureaucrats.

[mostlyharmless]

08:52 PM on 05/14/2010

the government has had the power to shut down habitually violating mines for years but hasn't used it?!

well, look who else has blood on their hands

[TFlint]

08:46 PM on 05/14/2010

"The government that governs best is the government that governs least. Let the corruption begin!" Ronald Reagan

[TFlint]

08:44 PM on 05/14/2010

Bush ordered ALL his supervisors NOT to supervise. Bush ordered all his administrators NOT to administrate. Bush ordered all his investigators NOT to investigate. FBI agents were watching the terrorists who flew the planes on 911 - Condi Rice ordered the FBI to STOP watching them.

[kgb999]

10:18 PM on 05/14/2010

And Bush has been gone for quite some time now. Hoover was lame too.

[Amalek]

10:38 PM on 05/14/2010

You give Bush too much credit. It was Cheney.

[Liv4ever]

08:22 PM on 05/14/2010

It's the Republicans fault. It's the Democrats fault. It's the Republicans fault. It's the Democrats fault. Keep bickering and defending the guys your parents raised you to support. Meanwhile both parties just keep gnawing away at the carcass of our country. Throw them all out!

[TFlint]

08:44 PM on 05/14/2010

It IS the Republicans fault. Period!

[japrz]

08:54 PM on 05/14/2010

Bill Clinton did not give a rats a$$ about the working man. He sent us all up the river without a paddle. He signed NAFTA, kept exporting jobs to China (just like Reagan), he even signed the Republican legislation to kill Glass-Steagall Act. As long as he got his blow jobs he was happy.

[Greybeard53]

08:09 PM on 05/14/2010

Moderator:

I had to write that last, and I hope you let it thru, tho I could understand if you didn't. The logic of the post is infallible in any case.

[bayside]

07:29 PM on 05/14/2010

While your at it look into bribery from BP to govt officials as well...

[GiantsFan44]

07:30 PM on 05/14/2010

The big DCheney comes to mind

[MrBadger]

07:19 PM on 05/14/2010

I truly hope these suckers swing for this. This was nothing short of calculated, statistical murder. They saw their worker's lives as expendable and figured it was cheaper to pay off inspectors and families than to fix the problems. There should be no mercy.

[rugbymom]

09:45 PM on 05/14/2010

Nah, spare their lives and set them to hard labor cleaning up after the Gulf oil gusher. That will take the next 30 years or so.

[sampson2]

09:54 PM on 05/14/2010

Nah, I agree spare their lives but cleaning up beautiful southern beaches would be light duty in a pleasant environment. Rather send them to Kansas where they can spend the rest of their lives making small stones out of big ones while on a low calorie diet.

[MrBadger]

12:03 AM on 05/15/2010

I like it. Fan #1!

[CoronaDischarge]

07:18 PM on 05/14/2010

A regrettable dividend of purposeful Republican sabotage of regulatory oversight. They were so proud to salt the agencies with incompetents charged with slowing oversight to the point of neglect, and now would jump at the opportunity to say that all this is happening under the Democrats. Now they are angling to get more seats so they can do more obstructing so that nothing can get done.

[tony wise]

07:54 PM on 05/14/2010

doesnt it say msha is under investigation for bribery? who was in charge of msha at the time of the accident? an obama appointee? isnt it an obama appointee that said they had tools they never used that could have prevented this?

and all you got is dick cheney and pubs did this? really?

[tony wise]

07:56 PM on 05/14/2010

the bribes continued well into the obama administration

the end.

[capnamerca]

08:26 PM on 05/14/2010

Tony tony tony . . .get real tony ! ! ! You haters have nothing better to do? I mean come on tony, you truly expect that in one year Obama's administration can undo all the damage the Bush people did in 8 years? The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, national security policies, the economy, collapse of the housing market, unemployment, deregulation of the financial industry, deregulation of the energy sector, industrial safety regulations, etc, etc, etc. One year to fix it all? LOL, your messiah Bush had 8 years and fixed nothing. Absolutley nothing ! ! ! ! ! But if Obama hasn't repaired all of the Bush initiatives in one year, he's a loser? Tony, wake up man, stop drinking the Rushbeck koolaid ! ! ! It'll take a while, but after a couple years in the light, you'll start seeing things with your own eyes, and maybe you'll realize what's going on in the real world. Good luck tony.