Latest Mining Headlines

All the headlines from our Mining Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Inspectors Say No Problems Found in West Virginia Mine After 1 Day

Jun 9 2010 // Teams found no problems Monday during a daylong expedition inside the West Virginia coal mine where 29 men died in the industry’s worst disaster in 40 years, officials said.Teams entered Massey Energy Co.’s...

Workers Raise Safety Concerns About Kentucky Mine Where 2 Killed

Jun 3 2010 // The United Mine Workers of America are raising new concerns about the safety of a western Kentucky coal mine where two men were killed by a rock fall in April.Steve Earle, a regional vice president for UMWA, said miners...

Investigators to Visit Massey West Virginia Coal Mine Today

Jun 2 2010 // Investigators probing the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years plan to enter the Upper Big Branch mine for the first time today, owner Massey Energy Co. said.Unsafe levels of toxic and explosive gases have...

West Virginia Sen. Rockfeller Urges Mine Safety Changes

Jun 1 2010 // West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller is urging President Barack Obama to make several mine safety improvements immediately. In a letter dated Sunday, Rockefeller told Obama he should consider several suggestions made by...

U.S. Mines Facing Shortage of Safety Air Packs

May 28 2010 // One of just two major makers of emergency air packs for U.S. coal mines has stopped selling the devices because they often don’t automatically start and the industry fears it will lead to a shortage, officials...

CEO Defends Massey Over West Virginia Mine Safety

May 24 2010 // The embattled head of Massey Energy Co. went on the defensive Thursday as he faced angry lawmakers who claim the company’s indifference toward safety led to the nation’s worst mining disaster in 40 years.Massey...

Judge Nixes Union Lawsuit Over Massey Mine Probe Interviews

May 24 2010 // A judge in West Virginia has dismissed a lawsuit over the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration’s plan to privately interview witnesses to the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years. U.S....

Lawsuits Against Coal Firms Claim Mining Worsened Kentucky Floods

May 17 2010 // A lawsuit filed against two coal companies that blames mining and poor reclamation for worsening flooding around an eastern Kentucky creek has grown to include 72 plaintiffs.The suit, plus a second lawsuit with 15...

West Virginia Could Add Second Agency to Police Mine Safety and Enforce Rules

May 17 2010 // West Virginia is mulling a new state agency dedicated to policing dangerous coal mines in response to an explosion that killed 29 men at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine. The state Board of Coal Mine Health and...

Inspections Uncover Serious Safety Violations; 6 Kentucky Mines Closed

May 10 2010 // Hundreds of serious violations were discovered at 57 troubled U.S. coal mines during surprise inspections just days after the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years, federal regulators said recently.Six...

West Virginia Mulls Second Mine Inspection Agency

May 7 2010 // West Virginia is mulling a new state agency dedicated to policing dangerous coal mines in response to an explosion that killed 29 men at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine. The state Board of Coal Mine Health and...

2 Miners Missing After Kentucky Coal Mine Roof Collapse

Apr 30 2010 // Two miners were missing Thursday and rescuers were unable to contact them after a roof collapsed in a large underground coal mine in western Kentucky, company and union officials said.Rescue crews were in the mine on...

More Investors Suing Massey Directors Over West Virginia Mine Tragedy

Apr 30 2010 // Institutional investors are continuing to target Massey Energy’s board of directors over an explosion that killed 29 coal miners earlier this month.The New Jersey Building Laborers Pension Fund blames Chairman Don...

Massey Says West Virginia Mine Was Clear of Gases Before Explosion

Apr 28 2010 // Air samples did not show high levels of explosive gases just before an explosion in a West Virginia coal mine that killed 29 workers, and what caused the disaster remains unknown, the mine’s owner said.Massey Energy...

Relatives of West Virginia Mine Blast Victims Will Be Compensated

Apr 27 2010 // Massey Energy says it will provide financial packages providing health care and other benefits for the families of 29 miners killed in the nation’s worst mining disaster in 40 years.Massey officials announced Monday...

Safety Violations Found at Massey Mines Since Blast

Apr 20 2010 // Federal inspectors have found more than 60 serious safety violations at Massey Energy operations since the explosion that killed 29 miners, adding to fallout from the disaster that includes a wrongful death lawsuit by one...

Families of 2 Maryland Miners File Wrongful Death Suit

Apr 20 2010 // The families of two western Maryland coal miners who died in a 2007 highwall collapse near Barton are seeking $8 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.The families of Dale Jones and Michael Wilt filed the complaint Thursday...

Investor Suit Targets Massey Directors, Execs Over West Virginia Mine Blast

Apr 19 2010 // A trust fund that invests in Massey Energy wants the board of directors and top executives held personally accountable for the recent explosion that killed 29 coal miners.The Manville Personal Injury Trust sued last week...

Massey Officials Meeting with West Virginia Miners’ Families on Benefits

Apr 16 2010 // Massey Energy Co. said its officials are meeting with families of the 29 miners killed the April 5 blast at its Upper Big Branch mine to describe the benefits the firm will provide them and denied it was trying to stave...

West Virginia Mine Panel Seeks Greater Role in Massey Investigation

Apr 14 2010 // The West Virginia panel that writes mining safety rules wants to join state and federal inspectors underground as they work to figure out what caused last week’s explosion that killed 29 men.Typically, the state...