Latest Mining Headlines

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

Panel to Hear Appeal in Maryland Mine Collapse

Dec 17 2008 // The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission is scheduled next month to hear Tri-Star Mining’s appeal of three citations and $180,000 in fines that were imposed after two workers were killed at the Barton...

Federal Inspectors Complete Safety Reviews of Nation’s Mines

Dec 12 2008 // For the first time, federal inspectors have completed mandatory safety reviews of all the nation’s mines within a single year, the head of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said.Mine safety chief Richard...

West Virginia Miners’ Widows Press Claims Against Massey Energy

Nov 12 2008 // Lawyers in a suit stemming from a fatal fire at a Massey Energy coal mine 2006 clashed this week over whether the deaths of two men could have been averted.Bruce Stanley, representing the widows of both men, told a Logan...

Vermont Warns Residents of Asbestos Danger at Old Mines

Nov 10 2008 // The state of Vermont is warning people to stay away from an abandoned asbestos mine in Eden and Lowell because of the health threat posed by asbestos.Scientists studied health records and death certificates from towns...

Gas Ignites, 2 Miners Burned at West Virginia Coal Mine

Nov 5 2008 // Two coal miners were burned on their faces and arms Nov. 3 when gas ignited, creating a brief flash of fire at a mine in northern West Virginia.The Whitetail Kittanning Mine was shut down and two investigators were sent to...

Mock Disaster Reveals Preparedness of Kentucky Miners

Nov 4 2008 // Recently, miners at Mosley Spur Mine in Middlesboro, Ky. took steps to ensure that if there is ever an emergency, they will be prepared.“I don’t know if you can ever be fully prepared (for a disaster),”...

7 Miners Injured in West Virginia when Vehicle Derails, Crashes

Oct 14 2008 // Seven miners were injured when their underground transport vehicle jumped its tracks and crashed at the Round Bottom Mine in Sylvester, W.Va. Authorities said the mantrip accident happened at 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 10 near the...

1 Person Killed in West Virginia Mine

Oct 10 2008 // A contract worker has been killed at a Massey Energy mine in West Virginia.State Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training spokeswoman Jama Jarrett says apprentice miner Steven Cain was pinned between the wall and...

Company: Dead Miner’s Family Fight is With Insurer

Sep 30 2008 // The mining company faulted for a cave-in that killed six miners in 2007 says it has no position on a worker’s compensation claim filed by the family of one of the victims.Genwal Resources Inc., a subsidiary of...

3 Kentucky Miners Accused of Violating Mine Safety Act

Sep 26 2008 // Three eastern Kentucky miners are indicted on two counts each of violating the federal Mine Safety Act.Ira Sergent, Johnny Osborne and Reggie Raleigh worked at the Stillhouse Mining No. 1 Mine in Harlan County, Ky. The...

West Virginia Mines Make Progress on Refuge Chambers

Sep 15 2008 // Manufacturers delivered nearly 200 airtight refuge chambers to West Virginia coal mines.State regulators became the first in the nation to mandate the chambers after 12 trapped men died after a January 2006 explosion at...

Feds: Civil Suits Unaffected by Mine Investigation

Sep 10 2008 // Federal officials say a criminal investigation of the Crandall Canyon, Utah, mine disaster doesn’t preclude civil suits against those associated with the mine.The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration asked...

Feds Hire More than 300 New Coal Mine Safety Inspectors

Aug 21 2008 // The federal agency responsible for mine safety has hired more than 300 inspectors in the past two years to scour underground coal operations for unsafe working conditions. The Mine Safety and Health Administration is...

West Virginia Mine Closed Pending Safety Investigation

Aug 18 2008 // A West Virginia coal mine where two scoop accidents occurred within three months, including one fatal, has been closed during an investigation into the most recent incident.The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health,...

3 West Virginia Miners Injured in Barbour County Accident

Aug 13 2008 // Three miners in West Virginia sustained injuries in a scoop accident at a Barbour County mine where an 18-year-old contractor’s apprentice was run over and killed by a scoop in May.Office of Miners’ Health,...

20 Teams Meet in West Virginia to Compete in Mine Rescue Contest

Aug 13 2008 // Twenty mine rescue teams from four states are gathering in Morgantown, West Virginia to test their skills. A mine rescue competition scheduled for Aug. 13 and Aug. 14 will include simulated underground mine emergencies,...

Massey, ICG Cited for West Virginia Fatal Mine Accidents

Jul 17 2008 // Safety violations by prominent eastern U.S. coal mine operators Massey Energy Co. and International Coal Group contributed to the deaths of two miners in accidents last May, West Virginia officials said July 15.Each...

West Virginia Completes Investigations of 2 Mining deaths

Jul 15 2008 // State investigators have completed investigations of two fatal coal mining accidents in West Virginia. The state Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety is scheduled to be briefed July 15 on the electrocution of a miner at...

Utah Labor Commissioner Appoints Director of Office of Coal Mine Safety

Jul 15 2008 // Utah Labor Commissioner Sherrie Hayashi has named Garth J. Nielsen director of the state’s new Office of Coal Mine Safety. The OCMS was established at the recommendation of the Utah Mine Safety Commission, appointed...

Rendell Signs Updated Pennsylvania Mine-Safety Bill

Jul 9 2008 // Gov. Ed Rendell has signed into law the first comprehensive update to Pennsylvania’s mine safety law in nearly half a century.It addresses emergency shelters and accidental breaches of flooded mines, as occurred in...