Latest Mining Headlines

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

House Democrats Pass Mine Safety Bill Despite Bush Veto Threat

Jan 18 2008 // Defying White House veto threats, the Democratic-controlled House this week passed sweeping mine safety legislation aimed at preventing future underground disasters like the one that took nine lives last year at Crandall...

New Federal Mine Safety Legislation up for Vote

Jan 17 2008 // More than two dozen Appalachian families who have lost loved ones in coal accidents are supporting a federal bill that would mandate more safety measures. Among the supporters are the widows of the 2006 Kentucky Darby...

Pa. Senate Panel Advances Long-Delayed Mine Safety Measure

Jan 17 2008 // A bill that would install a slew of safety measures into Pennsylvania’s long-outdated law protecting coal miners received unanimous approval from a state Senate committee this week.The bill, which is headed for a...

Kentucky Reports First Mining Death of 2008

Jan 10 2008 // Kentucky is reporting the nation’s first mine death of 2008.The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration says an eastern Kentucky coal truck driver died Tuesday at Blue Ridge surface mine in Perry County. The mine...

Bush Retains U.S. Mine Safety Chief

Jan 7 2008 // The country’s top mine-safety regulator will stay on the job despite the expiration of his temporary appointment as assistant labor secretary for mine safety and health.President Bush designated Richard Stickler as...

Federal Figures Show 32 Coal Miners Killed in 2007

Jan 3 2008 // Despite a decline in fatal accidents, federal statistics show 2007 was the second deadliest year since 2002 for U.S. coal miners.According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, 32 miners died on the job last year,...

Virginia Nears Third Year without a Mine Death

Dec 28 2007 // With the end of 2007 days away, Virginia is nearing a third consecutive year without a coal mining death.Virginia, ranked No. 10 in the nation in coal production, saw its last coal mining fatality on Oct. 23, 2004. Mike...

Federal Panel Recommends Fireproof Conveyor Belts in Nation’s Mines

Dec 21 2007 // Nearly two years after a conveyor belt fire killed two miners in Logan County, W. Va., a congressionally mandated study recommends that fireproof conveyor belts be standard in the nation’s coal mines.The study says...

W.Va. Delays Deployment of Steel-Shelled Mine Shelters

Dec 21 2007 // West Virginia’s mine safety chief has delayed deployment of steel-shelled shelters in underground coal mines because they could not meet a state standard for internal temperatures during testing.Ron Wooten, director...

Feds Give Mining Industry More Time to Mull Mine Safety Rule

Dec 20 2007 // The mining industry is getting more time to have its say about final federal rules requiring stronger seals for abandoned sections in underground coal mines.The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday it...

Feds Identify 20 Repeat Violators of Mine Health and Safety Rules

Dec 12 2007 // The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has warned 20 companies across the country that they may face sanctions as repeat violators of health and safety rules.The list includes coal operations in West Virginia,...

Army Corps of Engineers: Sago Mine Blast Stronger than First Reported

Dec 11 2007 // The deadly Sago Mine explosion in West Virginia may have been nearly seven times more powerful than previously reported, according to a government report obtained by the Sunday Gazette-Mail.The 138-page Army Corps of...

Another Suit Filed Over Fatal West Virginia Mine Fire

Dec 3 2007 // Massey Energy Co. is facing another lawsuit over a fatal fire at one of its mines in West Virginia.Wyatt Robinson’s lawsuit claims Richmond, Va.-based Massey and a subsidiary, Aracoma Coal Company Inc., failed to...

Data Mining Tools Can Achieve Results When Used Correctly

Nov 19 2007 // Data mining is a very powerful tool, but actuaries need to exercise caution when building insurance risk models because of the potential limitations of data.“I’ve heard data mining defined as ‘torturing...

Feds Propose Concrete Pipe System for Escaping Mines

Nov 18 2007 // Federal regulators believe they’ve found a quick and safe way for miners to escape fires or explosions in underground mines.A reusable system of 30- or 42-inch-diameter concrete pipes installed in underground mines...

Thomas to Direct Federal Mining Administration Accountability Office

Nov 16 2007 // A former district manager who has participated on mine rescue teams and fatal accident investigations will direct a new federal Mine Safety and Health Administration office charged with assessing compliance with agency...

Feds Reclassify 2005 Death as a Mining Accident

Nov 13 2007 // A coal truck crash that killed the driver in 2005 has been reclassified as a mining accident, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said.As a result, the agency plans to publish a report on the death of Chad...

Feds Propose Concrete Pipe System for Escaping Mines

Nov 8 2007 // Federal regulators believe they’ve found a quick and safe way for miners to escape fires or explosions in underground mines.A reusable system of 30- or 42-inch-diameter concrete pipes installed in underground mines...

Walking into a discrimination minefield

Nov 4 2007 // When a former employee sued Ernest for age discrimination, the owner of a small food services company fought back. He knew the allegation was totally false but, unfortunately for Ernest, he was completely on his own.Like...

W.R. Berkley Completes Acquisition of American Mining Insurer

Oct 5 2007 // Connecticut-based W. R. Berkley Corp. reports it has closed on the acquisition of CGH Insurance Group, the owner of American Mining Insurance Co.Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. American Mining, based in...