archive
The Two-Way
New Regulations Aimed At Black Lung Disease Appear To Be Stalled
October 12, 2012 United Mine Workers officials suspect the Obama administration doesn't want to move forward on the new rules during the presidential campaign. The federal mine safety chief says the process takes time.
The Two-Way
Republican Lawmakers Seek To Block Funding On Black Lung Regulation
July 17, 2012 Language inserted into a broad appropriations bill would block funding for a Labor Department effort to reduce the occurrence of black lung.
The Two-Way
Federal Mine Agency Considering Tougher Response On Black Lung
July 13, 2012 The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Labor Department are putting together a team of agency experts and lawyers to consider statutory and regulatory weaknesses detailed by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity this week.
Black Lung Returns To Coal Country
Black-Lung Rule Loopholes Leave Miners Vulnerable
July 10, 2012 An investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity has revealed widespread and persistent gaming of the system that's designed to measure and control the coal mine dust that causes the deadly disease.
Black Lung Returns To Coal Country
As Mine Protections Fail, Black Lung Cases Surge
July 9, 2012 An investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity found federal regulators and the mining industry are failing to protect miners from the excessive toxic coal mine dust that causes black lung. The disease is now being diagnosed in younger miners and evolving more quickly to complicated stages.
The Picture Show
Documenting 'Dirty' Jobs: Miners At Work
July 9, 2012 Photographer Earl Dotter has spent more than half of his life documenting workers in the most hazardous conditions.
Black Lung Returns To Coal Country
What Is Black Lung?
July 9, 2012 A definition, cost and explanation of the resurgence of the deadly coal miners' disease.
Black Lung Returns To Coal Country
Black Lung: Why Respirators Are Not A Solution
July 9, 2012 Breathing devices may seem useful for protecting coal miners from the toxic dust that causes black lung. But federal law does not permit using respirators as a way of complying with dust exposure limits.
Black Lung Returns To Coal Country
Surface Coal Miners At Risk For Black Lung
July 9, 2012 The deadly disease is no longer just a concern for underground miners. A new study documents severe cases among surface miners, too
The Two-Way
Mine Safety Questions Linger, One Year After Takeover Of Massey Energy
June 1, 2012 Citations issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) say managers at one mine failed to evacuate a section that was enveloped in thick smoke generated by a malfunctioning conveyor belt. The company disputes that finding.
The Two-Way
Former Massey Coal Mines Targeted In Massive Inspection Blitz
May 24, 2012 Dozens of federal mine safety inspectors descended into 43 coal mines in three Appalachian states Wednesday. The mines are now owned by Alpha Natural Resources, which absorbed Massey Energy after a 2010 mine disaster in West Virginia.
The Two-Way
Two Years After W. Va. Mine Disaster: Grief, Anger And Questions Linger
April 5, 2012 On April 5, 2010, an explosion killed 29 men at the Upper Big Branch mine. Today, families will remember those who died. Meanwhile, some are pressing a lawsuit against executives of the company that ran the mine. Its new owners are sealing the mine.
The Two-Way
West Virginia Mine Superintendent Pleads Guilty To Fraud
March 29, 2012 Gary May is the highest-ranking Massey Energy official so far charged after an investigation into operations at the mine where a blast killed 29 men in April 2010.
The Two-Way
West Virginia Report On Mine Disaster Points To State's Shortcomings
February 23, 2012 While a state review of the 2010 disaster that killed 29 coal miners isn't as pointed in assigning blame as some other reports, it does single out weaknesses in state laws that make it difficult to hold those responsible accountable.
The Two-Way
Massey Mine Boss Charged In Deadly Coal Mine Explosion
February 22, 2012 Federal prosecutors in Charleston, W.Va., have filed the most serious criminal charges yet in the investigation of the April, 2010, coal mine explosion that left 29 mine workers dead.
