West Virginia Sen. Rockfeller Urges Mine Safety Changes
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 relatives of the men killed in the explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine. The April 5 blast killed 29 men, the worst loss of life in a U.S. coal mine in 40 years.
Among other things, relatives told a U.S. House panel a week ago that federal inspectors should be accompanied by individual miners and criminal penalties for tampering with methane gas detectors should be increased.
Investigators suspect a combination of methane and coal dust in the Upper Big Branch disaster.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Popular Today
- 10 Highest Class-Action Settlements in 2025 Eclipsed $70B Total: Duane Morris
- Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to $2.46B Boy Scouts Sex Abuse Settlement
- New York Governor Hochul Vows to Tackle Insurance Affordability, Litigation and Fraud
- Wildfires, Storms Fuel 2025 Insured Losses of $108 Billion: Munich Re Report