MSHA chief to face senators' questions in wake of Utah accident
September 04, 2007 7:12 PM
WASHINGTON
U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd wants to know what it will take to shake up the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Byrd says MSHA was intended to be a strong federal agency with the authority to investigate, penalize and -- when necessary -- shut down a coal mine for safety violations. But Byrd says MSHA continues to take a "tepid minimalist" approach to mine safety, even after last year's Sago Mine disaster.
A Senate Appropriations subcommittee will hold a hearing tomorrow about the deadly collapse of a coal mine in Utah.
Byrd and other senators want to know whether more regulations are necessary and if the safety improvements mandated after Sago are being put in place fast enough.
MSHA director Richard Stickler is scheduled to testify at the hearing. President Clinton's mine safety director, Davitt McAteer, also is expected to testify. McAteer is now vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
One killed in Mingo County mine accident(UPDATE)
One killed in Mingo County mine accident
September 04, 2007 1:56 PM
CHARLESTON, W.Va.
Officials have released the name of the miner killed yesterday in a roof fall in Mingo County
State Trooper P.A. Sparks has identified the victim as 35-year-old Brent Reynolds of Virgie, Kentucky.
Terry Farley with the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training says the accident occurred at the Consol of Kentucky Bronzite Mine near Naugatuck yesterday afternoon.
This is the second Mingo County mine fatality in less than a month. In August, section foreman Stevie Joe Browning died after he suffered head injuries at the Rockhouse Creek Development Number Eight Mine near Gilbert.
September 04, 2007 1:56 PM
CHARLESTON, W.Va.
Officials have released the name of the miner killed yesterday in a roof fall in Mingo County
State Trooper P.A. Sparks has identified the victim as 35-year-old Brent Reynolds of Virgie, Kentucky.
Terry Farley with the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training says the accident occurred at the Consol of Kentucky Bronzite Mine near Naugatuck yesterday afternoon.
This is the second Mingo County mine fatality in less than a month. In August, section foreman Stevie Joe Browning died after he suffered head injuries at the Rockhouse Creek Development Number Eight Mine near Gilbert.
One killed in Mingo County mine accident
One killed in Mingo County mine accident
September 04, 2007 7:46 AM
CHARLESTON, W.Va.
A miner has been killed in an apparent roof collapse in Mingo County.The name of the victim hasn't been released.
Terry Farley with the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training says the accident occurred at the Consol of Kentucky Bronzite Mine near Naugatuck yesterday afternoon.
This is the second Mingo County mine fatality in less than a month. In August, section foreman Stevie Joe Browning died after he suffered head injuries at the Rockhouse Creek Development Number Eight Mine near Gilbert.
September 04, 2007 7:46 AM
CHARLESTON, W.Va.
A miner has been killed in an apparent roof collapse in Mingo County.The name of the victim hasn't been released.
Terry Farley with the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training says the accident occurred at the Consol of Kentucky Bronzite Mine near Naugatuck yesterday afternoon.
This is the second Mingo County mine fatality in less than a month. In August, section foreman Stevie Joe Browning died after he suffered head injuries at the Rockhouse Creek Development Number Eight Mine near Gilbert.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Miners unearth safety issues
Miners unearth safety issues
By: Aoife McCarthy
Sep 3, 2007 05:15 PM EST
The ill-fated efforts to rescue trapped miners at Utah’s Crandall Canyon Mine last month — along with the harrowing television images of the tragedy — are prompting new hearings on Capitol Hill and a split between lobbyists for mine owners and workers.
The renewed congressional attention to mining issues could also cause some headaches for the Bush administration. Richard Stickler, the designated head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, is among those who have been called to testify before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday.
Stickler’s nomination to head the agency was twice rejected when Republicans ran Congress, because of his close ties to the industry and a track record as a mine manager that included injury rates twice the national average. The wife of a miner killed in the Sago Mine collapse in West Virginia two years ago testified against his appointment. Despite that opposition, President Bush installed Stickler, a third-generation coal miner, through a recess appointment
. Now Stickler will face a Democratic-led Senate committee amid criticism that he mishandled the Utah disaster. Scheduled to testify alongside Stickler is Bob Murray, co-owner of the Utah mine, whose sometimes emotional and controversial media appearances added to the roller-coaster atmosphere that surrounded the failed attempt to save six miners trapped by an Aug. 6 cave-in. Less than two weeks later, three rescue workers were killed and six others injured when the mine collapsed again.
The United Mine Workers of America is pressing Congress to act aggressively to improve safety in the industry — and specifically to force the administration to fully implement new standards mandated by last year’s Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act. Among that legislation’s safety upgrades: extra air canisters, communication devices and tracking devices on miners. “We have an agency that is not living up to the intent and will of Congress,” said UMWA spokesman Phil Smith. “We would hope Congress recognizes that and takes action to correct it.”
The National Mining Association, a trade organization that includes more than 325 corporations involved in all aspects of the mining industry, is taking a more nuanced position. The association does not oppose any new safety precautions outright, but it expresses concern that any new legislation could slow production. The industry is still implementing the new provisions passed last year, officials say. “I would hope that Congress is interested in developing good outcomes, whether it is new legislation or a better understanding of what is going on in our business,” said Edward M. Green, an attorney with the law firm Crowell & Moring and a lobbyist for several mining companies.
Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the mining association, said the industry will remain open to changes. “If there are additions to the MINER Act that we are persuaded, and experts are persuaded, will improve mine safety, we will look at them. Our minds are not closed to this,” said Popovich. Smith and the labor organization, however, are likely to demand change.
“We want our industry to be as competitive as it possibly can be. We want it to be as productive as it possibly can be. We don’t want it to be competitive and productive at the price of our lives,” he said. The Appropriations hearing marks one of several investigations into the tragedy at the Utah mine. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has demanded a list of documents from the Labor Department about the mine and its operators. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the House Education and Labor Committee chairman, has asked Murray Energy to turn over 13 different categories of internal documents.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0907/5612.html
By: Aoife McCarthy
Sep 3, 2007 05:15 PM EST
The ill-fated efforts to rescue trapped miners at Utah’s Crandall Canyon Mine last month — along with the harrowing television images of the tragedy — are prompting new hearings on Capitol Hill and a split between lobbyists for mine owners and workers.
The renewed congressional attention to mining issues could also cause some headaches for the Bush administration. Richard Stickler, the designated head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, is among those who have been called to testify before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday.
Stickler’s nomination to head the agency was twice rejected when Republicans ran Congress, because of his close ties to the industry and a track record as a mine manager that included injury rates twice the national average. The wife of a miner killed in the Sago Mine collapse in West Virginia two years ago testified against his appointment. Despite that opposition, President Bush installed Stickler, a third-generation coal miner, through a recess appointment
. Now Stickler will face a Democratic-led Senate committee amid criticism that he mishandled the Utah disaster. Scheduled to testify alongside Stickler is Bob Murray, co-owner of the Utah mine, whose sometimes emotional and controversial media appearances added to the roller-coaster atmosphere that surrounded the failed attempt to save six miners trapped by an Aug. 6 cave-in. Less than two weeks later, three rescue workers were killed and six others injured when the mine collapsed again.
The United Mine Workers of America is pressing Congress to act aggressively to improve safety in the industry — and specifically to force the administration to fully implement new standards mandated by last year’s Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act. Among that legislation’s safety upgrades: extra air canisters, communication devices and tracking devices on miners. “We have an agency that is not living up to the intent and will of Congress,” said UMWA spokesman Phil Smith. “We would hope Congress recognizes that and takes action to correct it.”
The National Mining Association, a trade organization that includes more than 325 corporations involved in all aspects of the mining industry, is taking a more nuanced position. The association does not oppose any new safety precautions outright, but it expresses concern that any new legislation could slow production. The industry is still implementing the new provisions passed last year, officials say. “I would hope that Congress is interested in developing good outcomes, whether it is new legislation or a better understanding of what is going on in our business,” said Edward M. Green, an attorney with the law firm Crowell & Moring and a lobbyist for several mining companies.
Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the mining association, said the industry will remain open to changes. “If there are additions to the MINER Act that we are persuaded, and experts are persuaded, will improve mine safety, we will look at them. Our minds are not closed to this,” said Popovich. Smith and the labor organization, however, are likely to demand change.
“We want our industry to be as competitive as it possibly can be. We want it to be as productive as it possibly can be. We don’t want it to be competitive and productive at the price of our lives,” he said. The Appropriations hearing marks one of several investigations into the tragedy at the Utah mine. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has demanded a list of documents from the Labor Department about the mine and its operators. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the House Education and Labor Committee chairman, has asked Murray Energy to turn over 13 different categories of internal documents.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0907/5612.html
Despite Utah Disaster, Mine Majors Go On
Despite Utah Disaster, Mine Majors Go On
Forbes - NY,USA
September 3, 2007
Butte, Montana — Jared Bartel arrived at Montana Tech this month for a final semester that will take him to graduation and a job as a mining engineer.
Six months ago, Bartel firmed up a position with a Wyoming coal mine where he will be paid upward of $50,000 a year. His career aspirations remain as strong as ever despite the Utah mine disaster that focused new attention on the dangers of extracting resources from rock.
"There are inherent risks with mining," said Bartel, 23, of Hamilton in southwestern Montana. "But it's not nearly as dangerous as many jobs out there."
His attitude was common among freshmen and upperclassmen alike as mining students arrived on the Tech campus late last month while six men remained trapped in Utah's Crandall Canyon coal mine after a cave-in Aug. 6. Another collapse, 10 days later, killed three rescuers and injured six.
Officials at Montana Tech and mining schools elsewhere say the Utah disaster is unlikely to chill interest in a field brimming with opportunity in areas such as mine development, planning and administration. They say students tend to see themselves as invincible, and mine accidents reinforce the importance of their work as engineers, jobs that can send graduates underground alongside miners.
"Those accidents demonstrate the need for more and better engineering," said Rick Sweigard, who oversees mining engineering instruction at the University of Kentucky, one of 13 U.S. schools with accredited programs in the field.
Mining fatalities increased 19 percent last year, in part because of West Virginia's Sago Mine explosion that killed 12 people, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Oil and gas extraction is included in the mining category and accounted for the most fatalities. Looking at broad industry sectors, the department found mining trailed the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting group in deaths per 100,000 people employed.
Ron Brummett, career services director at the Colorado School of Mines, said job prospects for mining engineers are the best he's seen since he arrived at the Golden, Colo., campus in 1993. Last year's class had a 92 percent placement rate upon graduation, and within six months the rate was 100 percent.
In the 2006-07 academic year, the 13 accredited schools conferred about 130 bachelor's degrees on students who majored in mining engineering.
What happened in Utah "underscores the need to know your stuff" and is no deterrent to a career in mining, said Janet Robinson, who at age 50 is a freshman in Montana Tech. Previously a loan processor, she became interested in the mining program after visiting the campus with her son, a freshman in a different program.
Another student, Heather Buettner, said the Utah disaster colored her outlook, at least a bit. Buettner, who transferred out of the school's nursing program and into mining this year, said she won't work in an underground coal mine when she is an engineer a few years from now.
Besides coal operations above and below ground, opportunities for Buettner and other graduates may include jobs at metal mines, sand and gravel operations, transportation projects with underground features such as tunnels, mine safety and enforcement and mine reclamation.
Students here and at other campuses must take safety classes, with some schools using idle mines nearby for training.
"If they start volunteering at the (school) mine, they get safety instruction as soon as they show up on site," said Mary Polton, head of mining engineering at the University of Arizona.
Safety is part of the curriculum in the sophomore and junior years, and includes students at the university mine removing a "victim" in a staged rock fall, Polton said. As part of the simulation, the fire department responds, reporters ask questions, a state mine inspector shows up and an investigation begins right after the emergency response.
For students who satisfy these and other requirements for a bachelor's degree, job opportunities abound.
"It's safe to say the demand exceeds the supply by about three times," said Jim Taranik, director of the engineering and earth sciences school at the University of Nevada-Reno.
Some trace the shortage back 25 years, when there were more mining engineers than jobs. Enrollment in college mining programs slid, and some schools dropped their programs altogether.
Now many engineers are retiring and there aren't enough newcomers to replace them. Add the demands of a strong mining industry enjoying good prices for commodities, and the supply shortage becomes that much worse, said Luke Popovich of the National Mining Association.
The University of Kentucky program now enrolls about 110 students, topping 100 for the first time in some 25 years, Sweigard said. He attributes part of the rise to recruitment. For the past five years or so, a university representative has visited Kentucky high schools to promote mining studies.
It's not unusual for newly minted mining engineers to command $55,000 or more, signing bonuses of $10,000 to $20,000, relocation money and sometimes even housing allowances.
For Bartel, who looks to start soon at the Wyoming coal mine, his summer experiences working in an aboveground mine showed him how much he will enjoy his new profession.
"What happened in Utah has not deterred me in any way," Bartel said
Forbes - NY,USA
September 3, 2007
Butte, Montana — Jared Bartel arrived at Montana Tech this month for a final semester that will take him to graduation and a job as a mining engineer.
Six months ago, Bartel firmed up a position with a Wyoming coal mine where he will be paid upward of $50,000 a year. His career aspirations remain as strong as ever despite the Utah mine disaster that focused new attention on the dangers of extracting resources from rock.
"There are inherent risks with mining," said Bartel, 23, of Hamilton in southwestern Montana. "But it's not nearly as dangerous as many jobs out there."
His attitude was common among freshmen and upperclassmen alike as mining students arrived on the Tech campus late last month while six men remained trapped in Utah's Crandall Canyon coal mine after a cave-in Aug. 6. Another collapse, 10 days later, killed three rescuers and injured six.
Officials at Montana Tech and mining schools elsewhere say the Utah disaster is unlikely to chill interest in a field brimming with opportunity in areas such as mine development, planning and administration. They say students tend to see themselves as invincible, and mine accidents reinforce the importance of their work as engineers, jobs that can send graduates underground alongside miners.
"Those accidents demonstrate the need for more and better engineering," said Rick Sweigard, who oversees mining engineering instruction at the University of Kentucky, one of 13 U.S. schools with accredited programs in the field.
Mining fatalities increased 19 percent last year, in part because of West Virginia's Sago Mine explosion that killed 12 people, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Oil and gas extraction is included in the mining category and accounted for the most fatalities. Looking at broad industry sectors, the department found mining trailed the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting group in deaths per 100,000 people employed.
Ron Brummett, career services director at the Colorado School of Mines, said job prospects for mining engineers are the best he's seen since he arrived at the Golden, Colo., campus in 1993. Last year's class had a 92 percent placement rate upon graduation, and within six months the rate was 100 percent.
In the 2006-07 academic year, the 13 accredited schools conferred about 130 bachelor's degrees on students who majored in mining engineering.
What happened in Utah "underscores the need to know your stuff" and is no deterrent to a career in mining, said Janet Robinson, who at age 50 is a freshman in Montana Tech. Previously a loan processor, she became interested in the mining program after visiting the campus with her son, a freshman in a different program.
Another student, Heather Buettner, said the Utah disaster colored her outlook, at least a bit. Buettner, who transferred out of the school's nursing program and into mining this year, said she won't work in an underground coal mine when she is an engineer a few years from now.
Besides coal operations above and below ground, opportunities for Buettner and other graduates may include jobs at metal mines, sand and gravel operations, transportation projects with underground features such as tunnels, mine safety and enforcement and mine reclamation.
Students here and at other campuses must take safety classes, with some schools using idle mines nearby for training.
"If they start volunteering at the (school) mine, they get safety instruction as soon as they show up on site," said Mary Polton, head of mining engineering at the University of Arizona.
Safety is part of the curriculum in the sophomore and junior years, and includes students at the university mine removing a "victim" in a staged rock fall, Polton said. As part of the simulation, the fire department responds, reporters ask questions, a state mine inspector shows up and an investigation begins right after the emergency response.
For students who satisfy these and other requirements for a bachelor's degree, job opportunities abound.
"It's safe to say the demand exceeds the supply by about three times," said Jim Taranik, director of the engineering and earth sciences school at the University of Nevada-Reno.
Some trace the shortage back 25 years, when there were more mining engineers than jobs. Enrollment in college mining programs slid, and some schools dropped their programs altogether.
Now many engineers are retiring and there aren't enough newcomers to replace them. Add the demands of a strong mining industry enjoying good prices for commodities, and the supply shortage becomes that much worse, said Luke Popovich of the National Mining Association.
The University of Kentucky program now enrolls about 110 students, topping 100 for the first time in some 25 years, Sweigard said. He attributes part of the rise to recruitment. For the past five years or so, a university representative has visited Kentucky high schools to promote mining studies.
It's not unusual for newly minted mining engineers to command $55,000 or more, signing bonuses of $10,000 to $20,000, relocation money and sometimes even housing allowances.
For Bartel, who looks to start soon at the Wyoming coal mine, his summer experiences working in an aboveground mine showed him how much he will enjoy his new profession.
"What happened in Utah has not deterred me in any way," Bartel said
Utah mine is closed for ‘safety concerns’
Utah mine is closed for ‘safety concerns’
Miners angry at layoffs,bosses’ deadly profit drive
Militant/Chris Hoeppner
August 25 fund-raiser in Helper, Utah, for families of six miners trapped in mine collapse.
BY ALYSON KENNEDY HUNTINGTON, Utah, August 27—
In the wake of the deadly mine collapses at the Crandall Canyon mine, which have trapped six miners underground and killed three men, Murray Energy Corp. has said that another one of its Utah mines, the Tower mine, will be temporarily closed due to safety concerns. Company president Robert Murray announced August 26 that at least 170 miners will be laid off from the Tower and West Ridge mines in Carbon County, Utah.
Murray offered the workers jobs in mines his company owns in Galatia, Illinois, and St. Clairsville, Ohio. He said they would be housed in a bunkhouse, work three weeks straight, and only then get a week off to visit their families in Utah.
“This is a bad deal,” Jeremy Bailey, 31, a miner who was just laid off from the West Ridge mine, told the Militant. “Who can really do that? I have a family and I am not going to leave them. There is not much time to decide.” Workers were given only a day or two until August 27 to make a decision.
Bailey worked on the rescue operation at the Crandall Canyon mine after six miners were trapped August 6 in a massive collapse deep in the mine.
Many miners and safety officials say a “bounce”—a movement of the mountain caused by intense pressure and the extensive mining of coal—caused the sides of the mine to implode and the floor to heave up more than two feet. The miners were trapped by 2,000 feet of rock and coal.
In June Murray Energy received a permit from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to begin “retreat” mining at Crandall Canyon. That procedure is considered among the most dangerous mining methods. Pillars of coal that support the roof are removed as the miners withdraw from the work area, letting the roof cave in.
During the rescue operation, Bailey said, he was operating a scoop to help clear the collapsed entryway to reach the trapped miners when a bounce occurred. The force was so great that his machine was covered with debris.
“It slammed me,” Bailey said. “I could not see anything, it was so dusty. I was only able to get out by listening to a voice calling my name.”
On August 16 another bounce led to a second collapse, which killed three rescue workers and injured six. The underground rescue operation was halted. Three workers remain hospitalized.
Anger remains among working people in the coal towns of central Utah, as facts have emerged about the mining practices by Murray Energy and after company officials said the men may never be found and may be left entombed in the mine.
The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) reported August 24 that miners at Crandall Canyon had requested the union represent them in the upcoming MSHA investigation of the disaster.
Families of the trapped miners have secured lawyers to represent them and requested the help of the UMWA, according to local press reports.
Some big-business politicians have called for a congressional inquiry. Utah governor Jon Huntsman announced August 23 that he has set up a Utah Mine Safety Commission that will conduct a separate investigation.
The announcement came a few hours after Huntsman, who has sought to distance himself from Murray, publicly attacked the mine owner for “unconscionable” behavior toward the six trapped workers’ families.
Murray responded in a letter to the governor, publicized widely in Utah daily newspapers. Asserting that the governor’s remarks were damaging the company’s reputation, it read, “If you persist in your statements and course of action, you, Governor, are going to jeopardize 700 jobs in Carbon and Emery Counties. I cannot maintain them alone, and I definitely cannot do it if I am going to be your whipping boy.”
A few days later Murray announced the layoffs.
The company claims the layoffs will be temporary, lasting only until mining engineers and experts say the Tower mine is “safe” and can be reopened.
Miners report, however, that dangerous conditions at Tower are not new.
The Tower mine is about 2,800 feet below the mountain’s surface, and plans were to go another 400 feet deeper, the Salt Lake Tribune reported August 27. According to the Utah Geological Survey, this is “deeper than any [coal-mining] long-wall machine has ever successfully been used in the United States.” The deeper the mine, the more potentially dangerous the conditions.
MSHA’s records show bounces are a common occurrence at the Tower mine. There have been 10 reported this year, 4 of which caused injuries and 6 which moved heavy machinery or halted production. On May 20 a bounce sent coal flying out of the coal face striking a miner. He received cuts to his head requiring stitches.
In January 2006, Shane Jacobson was killed at the Tower mine while operating a longwall shear to cut coal. A bounce blasted out chunks of coal from the coal face that fatally struck him.
This was the third death at the Tower mine in 10 years.
Out of the 10 operating mines in Utah, 7 are 1,600 to 2,000 feet below the surface, according to the federal Bureau of Land Management. Miners report that unsafe conditions are common in many Utah mines.
On August 23 the Dugout Canyon mine, owned by Arch Coal, was evacuated because of elevated levels of carbon monoxide. MSHA said a fire occurred on the coal face on the longwall mining section.
Matt Madden, 27, was a roof bolter at the nearby Horizon Mine. A few weeks ago he was hit in the chest by a roof bolt and suffered three broken ribs and a split sternum.
“Because the mantrips almost never work, it took three hours for them to get me out of the mine and another hour and a half to get me to the hospital,” Madden told the Militant. The mantrip is the vehicle that brings workers in and out of the mine.
Madden said he had expressed concerns that the bolts used to hold up the roof were too short. “I reported this to management and was told that MSHA said it was okay to use six-foot roof bolts. I know it’s not safe. We’ve had a lot of roof falls at Horizon,” he said.
Madden worked at the Willow Creek Mine in Helper, Utah, when a mine fire in July 2000 killed two people and injured eight others. Along with his crew he went back into the mine and pulled out the survivors and the dead.
“We need the union,” Madden said, referring to Horizon and other nonunion facilities. “We miners know how unsafe it is, but the bosses won’t listen to us. With the union we can make them listen to us.”
Chris Hoeppner and Ved Dookhun contributed to this article.
Miners angry at layoffs,bosses’ deadly profit drive
Militant/Chris Hoeppner
August 25 fund-raiser in Helper, Utah, for families of six miners trapped in mine collapse.
BY ALYSON KENNEDY HUNTINGTON, Utah, August 27—
In the wake of the deadly mine collapses at the Crandall Canyon mine, which have trapped six miners underground and killed three men, Murray Energy Corp. has said that another one of its Utah mines, the Tower mine, will be temporarily closed due to safety concerns. Company president Robert Murray announced August 26 that at least 170 miners will be laid off from the Tower and West Ridge mines in Carbon County, Utah.
Murray offered the workers jobs in mines his company owns in Galatia, Illinois, and St. Clairsville, Ohio. He said they would be housed in a bunkhouse, work three weeks straight, and only then get a week off to visit their families in Utah.
“This is a bad deal,” Jeremy Bailey, 31, a miner who was just laid off from the West Ridge mine, told the Militant. “Who can really do that? I have a family and I am not going to leave them. There is not much time to decide.” Workers were given only a day or two until August 27 to make a decision.
Bailey worked on the rescue operation at the Crandall Canyon mine after six miners were trapped August 6 in a massive collapse deep in the mine.
Many miners and safety officials say a “bounce”—a movement of the mountain caused by intense pressure and the extensive mining of coal—caused the sides of the mine to implode and the floor to heave up more than two feet. The miners were trapped by 2,000 feet of rock and coal.
In June Murray Energy received a permit from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to begin “retreat” mining at Crandall Canyon. That procedure is considered among the most dangerous mining methods. Pillars of coal that support the roof are removed as the miners withdraw from the work area, letting the roof cave in.
During the rescue operation, Bailey said, he was operating a scoop to help clear the collapsed entryway to reach the trapped miners when a bounce occurred. The force was so great that his machine was covered with debris.
“It slammed me,” Bailey said. “I could not see anything, it was so dusty. I was only able to get out by listening to a voice calling my name.”
On August 16 another bounce led to a second collapse, which killed three rescue workers and injured six. The underground rescue operation was halted. Three workers remain hospitalized.
Anger remains among working people in the coal towns of central Utah, as facts have emerged about the mining practices by Murray Energy and after company officials said the men may never be found and may be left entombed in the mine.
The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) reported August 24 that miners at Crandall Canyon had requested the union represent them in the upcoming MSHA investigation of the disaster.
Families of the trapped miners have secured lawyers to represent them and requested the help of the UMWA, according to local press reports.
Some big-business politicians have called for a congressional inquiry. Utah governor Jon Huntsman announced August 23 that he has set up a Utah Mine Safety Commission that will conduct a separate investigation.
The announcement came a few hours after Huntsman, who has sought to distance himself from Murray, publicly attacked the mine owner for “unconscionable” behavior toward the six trapped workers’ families.
Murray responded in a letter to the governor, publicized widely in Utah daily newspapers. Asserting that the governor’s remarks were damaging the company’s reputation, it read, “If you persist in your statements and course of action, you, Governor, are going to jeopardize 700 jobs in Carbon and Emery Counties. I cannot maintain them alone, and I definitely cannot do it if I am going to be your whipping boy.”
A few days later Murray announced the layoffs.
The company claims the layoffs will be temporary, lasting only until mining engineers and experts say the Tower mine is “safe” and can be reopened.
Miners report, however, that dangerous conditions at Tower are not new.
The Tower mine is about 2,800 feet below the mountain’s surface, and plans were to go another 400 feet deeper, the Salt Lake Tribune reported August 27. According to the Utah Geological Survey, this is “deeper than any [coal-mining] long-wall machine has ever successfully been used in the United States.” The deeper the mine, the more potentially dangerous the conditions.
MSHA’s records show bounces are a common occurrence at the Tower mine. There have been 10 reported this year, 4 of which caused injuries and 6 which moved heavy machinery or halted production. On May 20 a bounce sent coal flying out of the coal face striking a miner. He received cuts to his head requiring stitches.
In January 2006, Shane Jacobson was killed at the Tower mine while operating a longwall shear to cut coal. A bounce blasted out chunks of coal from the coal face that fatally struck him.
This was the third death at the Tower mine in 10 years.
Out of the 10 operating mines in Utah, 7 are 1,600 to 2,000 feet below the surface, according to the federal Bureau of Land Management. Miners report that unsafe conditions are common in many Utah mines.
On August 23 the Dugout Canyon mine, owned by Arch Coal, was evacuated because of elevated levels of carbon monoxide. MSHA said a fire occurred on the coal face on the longwall mining section.
Matt Madden, 27, was a roof bolter at the nearby Horizon Mine. A few weeks ago he was hit in the chest by a roof bolt and suffered three broken ribs and a split sternum.
“Because the mantrips almost never work, it took three hours for them to get me out of the mine and another hour and a half to get me to the hospital,” Madden told the Militant. The mantrip is the vehicle that brings workers in and out of the mine.
Madden said he had expressed concerns that the bolts used to hold up the roof were too short. “I reported this to management and was told that MSHA said it was okay to use six-foot roof bolts. I know it’s not safe. We’ve had a lot of roof falls at Horizon,” he said.
Madden worked at the Willow Creek Mine in Helper, Utah, when a mine fire in July 2000 killed two people and injured eight others. Along with his crew he went back into the mine and pulled out the survivors and the dead.
“We need the union,” Madden said, referring to Horizon and other nonunion facilities. “We miners know how unsafe it is, but the bosses won’t listen to us. With the union we can make them listen to us.”
Chris Hoeppner and Ved Dookhun contributed to this article.
Steelworkers, Mine Workers Back Edwards for President
Steelworkers, Mine Workers Back Edwards for President
by Seth Michaels, Sep 3, 2007
At a Labor Day rally in Pittsburgh, the Steelworkers (USW) and Mine Workers (UMWA) both offered their endorsement of former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) in the 2008 presidential race.
The two unions make up the largest bloc of union support thus far for a 2008 presidential candidate.
Steelworkers President Leo Gerard said Edwards stands out among presidential candidates as the most “forceful advocate” for the values of working families, pointing to his support for health care reform, fairer trade policies and workers’ freedom to form unions. Edwards was one of four candidates to speak at the Steelworkers’ presidential forum in July. Gerard said:
Sen. Edwards is committed, as he has been throughout his life, to going to bat for everyday Americans and to changing a broken political system that leaves millions of Americans without a voice in their government.
Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts said Edwards focuses attention on working family needs rather than those of corporate elites. Roberts said:
We need a president who cares about ordinary working people instead of the richest Americans and the big multinational corporations. We believe John Edwards is that person, and we will work as hard as we know how on his behalf anywhere and everywhere we can.
In August, the AFL-CIO Executive Council said it would not yet make an endorsement for a 2008 candidate, leaving AFL-CIO unions free to endorse candidates in caucuses and primaries.
Last week, the Machinists (IAM) endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.). Clinton also won the endorsement of the United Transportation Union (UTU), while the Fire Fighters have endorsed Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.). More union endorsements are expected.
In the coming months, the AFL-CIO will continue its Working Families Vote 2008 campaign, an unprecedented effort that will mobilize millions of union members across the nation to elect a worker-friendly Congress and president.
by Seth Michaels, Sep 3, 2007
At a Labor Day rally in Pittsburgh, the Steelworkers (USW) and Mine Workers (UMWA) both offered their endorsement of former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) in the 2008 presidential race.
The two unions make up the largest bloc of union support thus far for a 2008 presidential candidate.
Steelworkers President Leo Gerard said Edwards stands out among presidential candidates as the most “forceful advocate” for the values of working families, pointing to his support for health care reform, fairer trade policies and workers’ freedom to form unions. Edwards was one of four candidates to speak at the Steelworkers’ presidential forum in July. Gerard said:
Sen. Edwards is committed, as he has been throughout his life, to going to bat for everyday Americans and to changing a broken political system that leaves millions of Americans without a voice in their government.
Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts said Edwards focuses attention on working family needs rather than those of corporate elites. Roberts said:
We need a president who cares about ordinary working people instead of the richest Americans and the big multinational corporations. We believe John Edwards is that person, and we will work as hard as we know how on his behalf anywhere and everywhere we can.
In August, the AFL-CIO Executive Council said it would not yet make an endorsement for a 2008 candidate, leaving AFL-CIO unions free to endorse candidates in caucuses and primaries.
Last week, the Machinists (IAM) endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.). Clinton also won the endorsement of the United Transportation Union (UTU), while the Fire Fighters have endorsed Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.). More union endorsements are expected.
In the coming months, the AFL-CIO will continue its Working Families Vote 2008 campaign, an unprecedented effort that will mobilize millions of union members across the nation to elect a worker-friendly Congress and president.
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