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Monday, January 10, 2011

Lawmaker calls for transparency in federal investigation of Upper Big Branch mine disaster

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has come under fire for failing to provide timely updates about its investigation into the April explosion that killed 29 West Virginia coal miners at a Massey Energy mine. Lawmakers are demanding an end date for the investigation from MSHA, Kris Maher of The Wall Street Journal reports. "They also are calling on Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to pressure MSHA to meet with families, noting that the most recent update was back in September." Unlike the BP Gulf of Mexico oil blowout investigation, which was conducted at public hearings, MSHA is using private interviews in the Upper Big Branch investigation.

"Meanwhile, a federal grand jury in West Virginia, the site of the accident, continues to hear testimony into possible criminal wrongdoing, according to people familiar with the matter," Maher writes. MSHA chief Joe Main and other officials have frequently criticized Massey's safety record since the disaster but have not provided their evidence that the explosion could have been prevented. "Massey has accused the agency of selectively leaking information about possible causes, which the agency has denied," Maher writes.

In a letter to Solis sent last week, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller called for an update on the investigation for the victims' families, writing, "Three months is too long for these families to wait." Amy Louviere, an MSHA spokeswoman, said, "We share Sen. Rockefeller's concerns about mine safety and the need to keep the families updated on the status of the investigation." One victim's relative said MSHA had planned a Jan. 14 meeting with families, but Louviere only would confirm there would be a meeting soon. Main declined to give the Journal a timetable for the end of the end of the investigation, noting the complexity of the process. (Read more)

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