Massey Energy Asks MSHA to Retract Inaccurate Statements on Dust Scrubbers

RICHMOND, Va., May 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Massey Energy Company's (NYSE: MEE) Chairman and CEO Don Blankenship today issued the following statement asking the Mine Safety and Health Administration to retract inaccurate statements made in the media about the safety of dust scrubbers used in underground mining:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071031/MASSEYENERGYLOGO )

"The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) gave inaccurate statements to the media on the critical issue of using dust scrubbers to clean the air of dust particles. I am asking the agency to retract their statements.

"Since February of this year, Massey Energy has been in conversations with MSHA about their practice of shutting down dust scrubbers on continuous mining machines.  Studies have shown that dust scrubbers remove up to 98% of harmful dust generated in the mining process. Despite repeated requests, MSHA has never provided a written explanation for their practice of requiring us to turn off scrubbers.

"However, in an article published by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review today, Kevin Strickland, MSHA's administrator for coal-mine safety and health, offers the agency's opinion on the matter by likening an unmaintained scrubber to a fan sucking smoke and dust into a house.  This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how a dust scrubber operates.  A poorly maintained scrubber -- much like a vacuum cleaner -- will simply remove 75-80% of the dust from the air instead of the 95-98% that a well maintained scrubber will.  

"MSHA also accused operators of putting coal production ahead of miner safety, suggesting the motive for operating scrubbers is a desire to make deeper cuts into the coal.  This conflicts with MSHA's earlier statements this week, where the agency recognized that scrubbers are an important issue that should be studied with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

"However, we do note that when MSHA takes away the ability to make deep cuts, our workers are forced to move from one part of the section to another, up to twice as often.  This requires the movement of large machines in restricted spaces.  Safety records show that many accidents and a number of fatalities occur during machinery moves.  Accidents classified as underground machinery or powered haulage accidents are usually the first or second most frequent causes of fatalities in coal mining.  Taking deep cuts is an action that benefits both productivity and improves worker safety.  There is also evidence that deep cuts reduce dust. 

"Regardless of the issue over deep cuts, however, MSHA has denied the use of scrubbers even on shorter cuts. MSHA should at least allow scrubbers on shorter cuts while it studies the issue further with NIOSH.  MSHA's poor judgment on the scrubber issue casts doubt on their other views relating to ventilation and demonstrates again the need for an open and transparent investigation into the UBB incident, where MSHA dictated the ventilation design."

Massey Energy Company, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, with operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia, is the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia and is included in the S&P 500 Index.

SOURCE Massey Energy Company

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