Labor Department Shutters West Virginia Mine Over Vent Concerns

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http://washingtonindependent.com/84875/labor-department-shutters-west-virginia-mine-over-vent-concerns

Labor Department Shutters West Virginia Mine Over Vent Concerns
By Mike Lillis 5/14/10 4:12 PM


With all the focus on Massey Energy, it’s worth noting that they’re not the lone coal company facing fire over safety issues in recent weeks. Indeed, federal officials this week closed down a West Virginia mine owned by St. Louis-based Patriot Coal Corp over safety concerns, Reuters reports.

On Tuesday, {the Mine Safety and Health Administration} issued an order closing the Harris No. 1 mine in Boone County, West Virginia,” the spokesman said. “The order was issued because the mine’s ventilation system was not functioning as designed.” …

Leslie Fitzwater, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training, said the company had been warned earlier about low oxygen levels in parts of the mine during a routine MSHA investigation, but the problem had not fixed when MSHA officials returned to the mine on Tuesday.

The mine, Fitzwater added, could be reopened as early as next week.