Lawmakers have only hinted at reforms to the nation’s mine safety laws in the wake of April’s deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch in West Virginia. But Massey Energy, which owns the UBB, seems not to be taking any chances.
Two teams of inspectors emerged from the Upper Big Branch mine yesterday evening, with plans to return as early as tomorrow, according to a statement just released by Massey Energy, which owns the mine.
During yesterday’s visit — which was initially aborted due to toxic gases More…
The Charleston Gazette’s tireless Ken Ward Jr. notes today that, in southern West Virginia, mountaintop removal mining is threatening more than wildlife and drinking water; it’s also jeopardizing one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state.
The Gauley River, among the top white water rafting More…
With so much focus on West Virginia’s coal mines following April’s deadly blast at the Upper Big Branch, The Washington Post today has a good reminder that the safety concerns surrounding the industry transcend state boundaries.
In a front-page feature, reporter Kimberly Kindy takes a close look at the More…
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…
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…
When most of us flip on the lights (or type into our computers, for that matter), we aren’t thinking about how those simple acts might affect those living in coal country. Yet nearly half of the country’s electricity is generated by coal, and increasingly that coal is being More…
Scientists for years have warned about the irreversible damage to Appalachian ecosystems caused by mountaintop removal coal mining (which makes sense, considering that the nation’s oldest mountains can’t grow back once they’ve been topped). But don’t tell that to the coal industry.
At a West Virginia More…
Today marks Massey Energy’s annual shareholders meeting in Richmond, Va, and they’re getting quite a reception from environmentalists and members of the United Mine Workers of America, who are picketing the event by the hundreds. The Wall Street Journal provides some context:
A page from the fire boss book — a log of safety records — was removed at the Upper Big Branch Mine that killed 29 miners in Montcoal, W.Va., last month, according to a new court document surrounding a lawsuit filed by two of the victims’ families. The More…
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