The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged appalachia

A Closer Look at Massey’s Recent Safety Awards

By | 06.01.10 | 3:46 pm

Amid the growing allegations that Massey Energy, the Virginia-based coal giant, doesn’t do enough to protect its workers, the company last week was quick to trumpet a series of mine safety awards that recently came its way.

The reason for the self-promotion is clear: Massey has been More…

Massey Miner: ‘I Stayed Scared to Death’

By | 06.01.10 | 12:36 pm

Add Randy Dingus to the growing list of Massey miners who have come forward in recent weeks with allegations that the Virginia-based company prioritized coal production above miner safety in Appalachia.

Dingus, a longtime Appalachian coal miner, told West Virginia Public Broadcasting that Massey’s safety rhetoric More…

Massey’s Upper Big Branch Mine Still Racking Up Safety Violations

By | 05.26.10 | 1:25 pm

The coal mine that exploded last month in West Virginia — killing 29 workers and all but killing a 30th — may be shuttered in the wake of the blast, but federal regulators continue to find safety problems there. As The Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. reports today, More…

Massey Energy Not the Only Habitual Mine Safety Violator

By | 05.17.10 | 6:00 am

Driving out of Charleston, south on Rte. 119, you can’t miss it: an enormous billboard, on the left side of the road, with a message from the Patriot Coal Corporation: “Be Proud of Where You Work.”

Not merely self-promotional, the statement is also a thinly veiled shot at Massey Energy, More…

Who’s Bankrolling Mountaintop Removal Mining?

By | 05.13.10 | 4:49 pm

Turns out, it’s a number of the country’s largest banks.

In a report out today, several environmental groups rank nine of the biggest players on Wall Street based on their stated policies toward mountaintop removal coal mining, a process in which companies blast away Appalachian peaks More…

Massey Deep Miner Speaks Out on Safety

By | 04.22.10 | 11:47 am

Our piece this morning describes the reluctance of Massey Energy workers to criticize the company for fear of losing their jobs in a part of the country where there are criminally few employment alternatives. As a result, it’s next to impossible to find miners or their families willing to talk More…

In Coal Country, a Culture of Fear

By | 04.22.10 | 7:00 am

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.

[Environment1]Massey Energy, the Virginia-based coal giant that runs the Upper Big Branch Mine, has denied time

More…

Failed Mining Reform Bill Might Have Prevented Tragedy

By | 04.14.10 | 6:00 am

In 2006, after Congress passed the most significant mining reforms in three decades, a small group of Democrats offered a terse warning: The legislation, they said, didn’t go nearly far enough to prevent accidents and protect miners.

[Congress1]“Much more remains to be done to keep the nation’s More…

Massey Mine in Kentucky Hit With 54 Safety Violations This Week

By | 04.09.10 | 2:31 pm

Massey CEO Don Blankenship said this week that piling up safety violations is simply a part of mining coal. He wasn’t kidding.

The Freedom # 1 Mine, a Massey-owned project in Pike County, Ky., has been cited with 54 safety violations in the four days since More…

Massey: ‘The Lowest-Cost Coal Producer in Central Appalachia’

By | 04.06.10 | 11:41 am

The stock price for Massey Energy might have dropped today, following Monday’s explosion at the company’s Upper Big Branch mine. But don’t count the coal giant out just yet.

Despite the disaster, Wall Street analysts still see strong earnings potential in Massey. ABC News reports More…