west virginia mine owner to pay record fine

video: feds unveil $210m settlement in US mine blast*
from wvrecord: The Justice Department on Tuesday announced an agreement with Alpha Natural Resources totaling nearly $210 million in payments connected to the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster. An explosion on April 5, 2010, claimed the lives of 29 miners at the site, which was then owned by Massey Energy. Alpha took over Massey in a merger earlier this year. The agreement announced Tuesday -- which coincidentally was West Virginia Miner's Day -- is the largest ever for the resolution of a criminal investigation of a mine disaster. A press release from U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin says the agreement "addresses only the corporate criminal liability of the former Massey, not potential criminal charges for any individual."

related west virginia worry:
families demand prosecutions in west virginia mine blast*
rockefeller, manchin expenses published*

union & families sue to open fed probe into wv coal mine explosion

update: crack found in floor of wv mine where 29 died
from democracy now: Just a few weeks before the April 20th explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf, twenty-nine coal miners died after an explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia. Although the Mine Safety and Health Administration has launched an investigation into the disaster, unlike the open federal investigation into the BP oil spill, the probe into Massey is taking place entirely behind closed doors. The United Mine Workers of America and families of victims killed in the West Virginia coal mine explosion recently filed suit in federal court to open up the federal investigation.

flashback: 29 killed in massey coal mine explosion & interview w/ reverend billy on mountaintop revival

interview w/ reverend billy on mountaintop revival

interview w/ reverend billy: download/subscribe\archive

the last two weeks have been a dark time for west virginia. on april 5th, an explosion at the upper big branch mine in montcoal killed 29 men & is the country's worst mining disaster in 40 years. but the day before the montcoal catastrophe was easter sunday and a group of activist/artists converged on nyc bank branches where they 'deposited' mounds of murdered dirt from coal river mountain on the floors of atm lobbies.

why? because we now know that the banksters at jpmorgan chase are behind 80% of the mountaintop removal in appalachia - and soon the rest of the world will know, too. this very special interview episode from media monarchy features a rousing conversation with reverend billy of the church of life after shopping. we're here to inspire you to bring your own murdered mud to chase so that we can begin the rebirth of west virginia & join together in a mountaintop revival!

video excerpt: interview w/ reverend billy


previous interview: david wallechinsky of allgov.com

west virginia worry: 25+ killed in massey coal mine explosion

25 dead in west virginia mine blast, worst since 1984
related: rev billy placed 'holy hex' on jpmorgan over wv moutaintop removal*
from ap: A huge underground explosion blamed on methane gas killed 25 miners in the worst U.S. coal mining disaster since 1984, and rescuers on Tuesday began a dangerous and possibly futile attempt to rescue four others still missing.

Crews were bulldozing an access road so they could drill 1,000 feet into the earth to release gases and make it safe to try to find the missing miners. They were feared dead after the Monday afternoon blast at a mine with a history of violations for not properly ventilating highly combustible methane.

Rescuers were being held back by poison gases that accumulated near the blast site, about 1.5 miles from the entrance to Massey Energy Co.'s sprawling Upper Big Branch mine.

They had to create an access road above it before they could begin drilling four shafts to release methane and carbon monoxide. Gov. Joe Manchin said at a news briefing Tuesday that it could be Wednesday night before the first hole is drilled.

"It's a slow process," Manchin said. "It's just going to be a slow process."