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Jeff Gentner / AP
Emergency vehicles leave the entrance to Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Coal Mine in April 2010 in Montcoal, W.Va. after an explosion at the underground coal mine.
The owner of a West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men will pay nearly $210 million in a historic settlement arising from the worst U.S. coal mining disaster in decades.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced the settlement Tuesday, calling it a "revolutionary resolution" that is the largest of a criminal investigation into a U.S. mine disaster.
As part of the agreement, Alpha Natural Resources will not be charged with crimes but individuals still could face criminal prosecution. Alpha acquired Massey Energy after the explosion at Upper Big Branch.
The agreement includes more than $46 million in criminal restitution to the miners' families and $35 million in penalties for all Massey violations, including $11 million for Upper Big Branch. Another $128 million will fund cutting-edge mine safety upgrades.
Among the improvements will be digital equipment to monitor air flow and the presence of explosive methane and coal dust, reported the Charleston Gazette.
"We think that these requirements set a new standard for what can and should be in place to protect coal miners," Goodwin told the Gazette.
Alpha will also create a $48 million trust for mine safety research at academic institutions, the Gazette reported.
News of the settlement came hours before the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration was expected to release its findings into the April 2010 mine explosion.
The MSHA report will be the third report on the disaster, and echoes previous findings by an independent investigator and safety experts with the United Mine Workers, according to the Gazette. All three investigations conclude a spark ignited methane gas and a massive accumulation of explosive coal dust. Malfunctioning water sprayers allowed what could have been a small flare-up to become an epic blast that traveled seven miles of underground corridors, doubling back on itself and killing the men instantly.
MSHA will share its findings in a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Massey will appeal to the Supreme Court just like Exxon...Everyone knows half of these Justices are bought and paid for by the 1%..
Massey wont pay a dime..
I think your almost right they will pay 1 dime and that's it. Not one penny more
If the cost of resourcing and cleanly using coal as a major energy generation fuel were included in the true costs, it would be more economical to build a big dome over Washington D.C. to catch the hot air expelled by our "best and brightest", and to collect the methane from the mind farts and other gaseous emissions that occur there on a constant basis.
What price clean energy? When will our reliance on fossil fuels end?
Nothing to appeal, this is a settlement. Possible too low.
With the threat of criminal charges over their head, who knows, maybe they'll relent? In any event, McDonnell and his cronies will be on the side of the coal mine's former owners, Massey. A CEO of the electric company said in his letter a few months back, "KY is blessed with coal." Interesting that KY is at the bottom rung of the scale in health care and education. 1 out of 4 KYians are on some govt. dole, disability abounds. Yes, that's McDonnell's work for his funders rather than for the betterment of KYians. There's a good 'ol boy network in KY that beats anything in IL or WI.
Mining disaster that killed 29 men.
Probably a direct result of too much govt. regulation and intrusion. *
* - sarcasm note for the assembled teapublicans..
Now to go after Don Blankenship, he should be rotting in prison.
How much will go directly to the victims familiys? Thats the real question. Nice that they are being forced to do upgrades to the mine, but its a little too late for the 29 victims!
This title is totally bogus! They're only "paying" a little over 85 million. The rest is either improvements to property that they own or staying in their control under a "research" operation that will likely be used to generate spin for their own industry (not to mention, they will probably write the upgrades and research off as a tax deduction!). What an insult!
Yet they are allowed to remain in business, learning absolutely nothing from this tragedy other than it may cost them a little bit of money the next time. I mean, wasn't this a CRIMINAL investigation? Who is being arrested and jailed? Sickening.
The judge in this case must be gettting a kick back. Massey makes $210 million in a week.
If I remember, Massey disables safety devices intentionally so that workers can produce more (profitable) coal. As a result, an explosion occurred killing the miners. Is this at least accessory to murder, with profit as a motive? Where are the criminal complaints? Looks like some jail time for the board is in order. Corporations are "people" right? People do time for this kind of criminal activity, not a "pay fine and off you go."
Good point! If people go to jail for crime, and corporations are people, put the corporations in jail. From the top down this time.
We must remove "corporate personhood" from our government.
Ask your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor, support, and vote for H.J.Res. 88, which will remove personhood from corporations and overturn Citizens United, as a Constitutional Amendment. The text and current co-sponsors can be found at thomas[dot]loc[dot]gov. Jim Mcgovern is sponsoring the bill.
If your Rep will not do these three things, s/he is working for corporations and should be voted out of Congress during the next election. Senators will be next, and then the State Legislators, since 3/4ths of the states must ratify an Amendment.
Let's get this passed or clean out the Congress.
Amen to that Plantiful. If we end corproate personhood companies Like Massey, BP, Halliburton, etc. will be forced to pay for their capitial crimes.
Please spread the word about this amendment- email your friends, post on any blogs that you can. News media are not interested in reporting on this Amendment, as they are owned by the Corporates as well. This is something that We must do if We want to take our country back.
Spread the word!
So the fine includes making them spend money on safety that they should do anyway? More evidence that the mining companies want the government to fireboss their mines. Ridiculous.
OK, United Mine Workers. Time to pull up your sleeves and go after Massey, et al. Show us why we still need unions.
Big settlement bullsheet, most of it will never be paid as they apeal it over and over and over <add infinity>...and what is paid isn't to the surviving families, it will be to DC to line it's own pockets.
There will never be enough done or a dollar amount that could repay for the death of these men or the agony that their families have faced since this terrible day. All of this could have / should have been avoided.
A lot of good posts here on this article.
Hey earth-girl, wake up the unions are just as bad as the owners if not worse, the unions are supposed to have representatives on site, the owners don't, so it was with the unions OK if someone removed the safety device.....