Massey Energy has long maintained that the 2010 disaster at the Massey-owned mine was caused by a massive release of methane gas, which would absolve them from responsibility. Charleston attorney and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Hissam joined them for the discussion. The Upper Big Branch Mining Memorial Group, Inc. In seven weeks of testimony, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin’s office called 27 witnesses including several former Upper Big Branch miners. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB, Kevin Stricklin (R), an administrator with the Mine Safety and Health Administration speaks during a press conference near the Upper Big Branch coal mine in Montcoal, West Virginia on April 8, 2010, three days after the explosion. April 5, 2010 No. “I’m disappointed but somewhat relieved it wasn’t a hung jury. "There just ain't no peace out there right now. Four other Massey executives have been prosecuted in response to the disaster, and impacted West Virginians are urging federal officials to charge Blankenship as well. UBB had more unwarrantable coal failures and you allowed them to conduct business as usual. It was, to the contrary, a completely predictable result for a company that ignored basic safety standards and put too much faith in its own mythology.". (AP Photo/Jeff Gentner, File), A truck drives down the road near the Upper Big Branch Mine on April 6, 2010 in Montcoal, West Virginia. ABC News' Devin Dwyer contributed to this report. Massey racked up more than 1,300 safety violations over the past five years, MSHA records show. Twenty-nine miners died in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine on April 5, 2010. "Upper Big Branch: Never Again" was released less than a week before the UBB anniversary to a largely negative reception. The defense rested its case without calling a single witness. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images), Brianna Bailey, 14, holds a sign showing her support for coal miners near the entrance of the Upper Big Branch Mine, Friday, April 9, 2010, in Montcoal, W. Va. (AP Photo/The Register-Herald, Rick Barbero), Supporters of mine workers show their support at the entrance of the Upper Big Branch Coal Mine on April 9, 2010 in Montcoal, West Virginia. The songs featured in “Coal Country” were written by the legendary country music artist Steve Earle and provide an example of how these stories live on and how this tragedy is being retold and remembered, a decade later. Virus Cancels Anniversary Event To Honor Miners Killed At Upper Big Branch, Upper Big Branch 10 Years Later - Honoring the Miners Who Lost Their Lives, Featuring Music From Steve Earle, 'Coal Country' Recounts Deadly Mine Explosion, Judge Denies Ex-Coal CEO Blankenship’s Request To Overturn Conviction, Judge Recommends Overturning Blankenship's Conviction, 'He Died In Terror' - Thousands of U.S. Workers Die Each Year, Leaving Families With Questions, Motion Seeks to Erase Ex-Massey CEO Blankenship's Conviction, Lawsuit: Agency Didn’t Do Enough To Stop Mine Disaster. Kevin Stricklin (R), an administrator with the Mine Safety and Health Administration speaks during a press conference near the Upper Big Branch coal mine in Montcoal, West Virginia on April 8, 2010, three days after the explosion. (Photo by Kayana Szymczak/Getty Images), Chunks of coal bearing the names of the miners who died in the explosion at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W. Va. appear in a makeshift memorial in Whitesville, W.Va. on Tuesday, April 13, 2010. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images), Supporters of mine workers show their support at the entrance of the Upper Big Branch Coal Mine on April 9, 2010 in Montcoal, West Virginia. "Ultimately, the responsibility for the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine lies with the management of Massey Energy. We also…, The actors deliver their lines from a sparse stage — just a few benches around them and 29 modest lights above. The deaths devastated the residents of Raleigh County, a mining community in West Virginia. "[Massey Energy] broke faith with its workers by frequently and knowingly violating the laws and blatantly disregarding safety practices while creating a public perception that its operations exceeded industry safety standards.". In January of this year he asked for his case to be overturned, but judges dismissed his motion. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB, Members of the local community participate in a candlelight vigil in Whitesville, West Virginia on April 7, 2010. "I can't look at the pictures. Songwriter Steve Earle used it as a creative challenge to write his forthcoming album, Ghosts of West Virginia. We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote! Some of the following files are large and may take some time to download, depending on your connection speed. When you lose one, you lose a part of yourself. He served a year of jail time for that charge. She also blamed former top mining officials at Massey, and the federal organization charged with protecting the health and safety of miners. The blast at Upper Big Branch comes four years after a pair of other West Virginia mine disasters — an explosion that killed 12 miners at the Sago mine and a … AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB, Thomas Jones (L), a local coal miner, participates in a candlelight vigil in Whitesville, West Virginia on April 7, 2010. But she did not lay blame entirely on Blankenship. Third, the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training failed in its role of enforcing state laws and serving as a watchdog for coal miners. Of the miners who were killed, 19 died of carbon monoxide intoxication, while the 10 other miners were killed by the explosions. Second, the U.S. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images), Thomas Jones, a local coal miner, participates in a candlelight vigil in Whitesville, West Virginia on April 7, 2010. Three layers of protection designed to safeguard the lives of miners failed at Upper Big Branch. “Working under Massey, they didn’t care. impacted West Virginians are urging federal officials. You can reach her at [email protected]. You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia. Eric Douglas is our associate producer. For the families of the lost miners, the report will not bring solace, but may help them understand what happened on April 5, 2010, when fire erupted in the mine. This should make viewing this report a bit easier. April 5, 2014 marks the fourth anniversary of an explosion at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine in Montcoal, W.Va. 29 miners were killed in the explosion, which was the deadliest U.S. coal mine disaster since 1970. ", "Twenty-nine coal miners paid with their lives for corporate risk-taking," J. Davitt McAteer wrote in the report. Many touched by the tragedy say they're not convinced regulators will take steps necessary to ensure it could never happen again. "MSHA and state inspectors are also getting a lot of criticism over this and how things got so bad at that mine, because it didn't just happen overnight," said John Garretson, a retired federal mine inspector. They did say guilty so he’s not walking away from this even though it’s a misdemeanor. Judy Jones Peterson lost her brother in the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. Due to the extensive nature of this report, we have chosen to break it down into pieces. Ten years ago, on April 5, 2010, 29 men who worked at an underground coal mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia, lost their lives. The report found that Massey Energy failed to meet federal and state safety standards for the handling of rock dust and that emergency water systems were not properly maintained and failed to function as they should have. First, Massey's pre-shift/on-shift examination system broke down so that safety hazards either were not recorded, or, if recorded, were not corrected. ul.nav ul.nav {margin-top: 6px; margin-left: 1.2em; padding-left: 1.2em; line-height: 24px; COLOR: #ffffff;}

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