The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

June 2, 2010

Mine teams prepare to enter Upper Big Branch

Crews will work near surface until borehole is finished

By Mannix Porterfield Register-Herald Reporter

Almost two full months after the Upper Big Branch explosion that left 29 workers dead in Raleigh County, federal and state regulators prepared to re-enter the sprawling mine today to launch an investigation.

Originally, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration planned to conduct a quick look-see around the longwall to assure the teams that no fire or other source of heating was evident.

Amy Louviere, the public affairs director for the agency, said Tuesday a projected borehole hadn’t penetrated the mine, thwarting the teams from reaching the longwall.

“They will be allowed to work in the area closer to the surface and will likely begin pumping water out of the mine,” she said.

“After the borehole has penetrated the mine, rescue teams will then be allowed to advance to the longwall area.”

Three separate investigations are attempting to determine the cause of the April 5 explosion that led to the worst mining disaster in four decades.

It was the second fatal explosion in a West Virginia mine in four years, the last one occurring in 2006 at the Sago mine in Upshur County.

Upper Big Branch is run by Performance Coal Co., a subsidiary of Massey Energy, which has insisted, in the face of criticism from the White House to the United Mine Workers of America, that it placed more emphasis on miner safety than coal production.

But UBB miners, testifying at a congressional hearing last week in Beckley, claimed otherwise, saying men lived under the threat of dismissal if they complained about any compromises in safety regulations.

At all times while regulators are underground, Louviere said boreholes and fans will be monitored.

“After MSHA is confident that no fire or heating exists in the longwall area, a complete and thorough examination of the entire mine will be conducted,” she said.

“After the examination has taken place, the investigation will begin.”

Ron Wooten, director of the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training, has indicated it might take as long as a year to complete the investigation and get all reports on it filed.

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com

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