The head of Massey Energy, owner of the West Virginia mine where an explosion killed 29 workers last month, testified before Congress on Thursday, saying federal regulators ruled the mine safe just days before the blast. The head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration also testified, saying that Massey has hindered enforcement efforts by filing appeals and that Congress needed to loosen its purse strings for federal regulators to clear the appeals.
The hearings were held by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees MSHA funding, and were called to explore ways to increase oversight and clear backlogged appeals by mine companies, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Joe Main, the head of MSHA, said Massey contested 78 percent of the $13.5 million in fines the agency levied against it in 2009. Those appeals prevented regulators from tightening enforcement of the company, he said. Massey CEO Don Blankenship countered by saying the company was only following rules put in place by Congress. That its penalties were reduced by 40 percent was a “sure sign that our appeals are not frivolous,” he said.
As of May 5, there was a backlog of more than 16,000 cases involving 89,000 violations under appeal at MSHA.
