FBI Investigating Fed Officials And Massey Energy Over Possibly Bribery
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/...
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday put primary blame for last week's deadly West Virginia coal mine disaster on owner Massey Energy and called for better mine oversight nationwide to prevent more accidents.
NPR News reports that the FBI is investigating the possible bribery of federal officials overseeing mining industry regulation by Massey Energy, the owner of the Upper Big Branch mine that exploded three weeks ago, killing 29 miners.
"The Mine Safety and Health Administration is the target of a federal criminal investigation," NPR notes, and "FBI agents are also exploring potential criminal negligence on the part of Massey Energy."
The nation's top mine safety official told lawmakers earlier this week that the government will start going directly to federal court to shut down mines that make a habit of ignoring safety.
Joe Main, director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said his agency has had the power to seek federal injunctions for years, but has never tried to use it.
"I can't speak for past administrations," Main said during the Senate's first hearing on the accident that killed 29 men. "We're going to use it."
Main also called for a slew of other legal and regulatory reforms to beef up safety enforcement in the wake of this month's deadly explosion at a mine in West Virginia.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee convened the hearing to look at weaknesses in current laws that encourage mine operators and companies in other industries to challenge safety violations to delay stiffer penalties.
UPDATE:
(Howard Berkes is an NPR correspondent who focuses on rural affairs. The audio of his report follows. Dina Temple-Raston is an NPR correspondent who focuses on national security and counterterrorism.)
Link to voice recording - http://www.npr.org/...
Update at 11:55 a.m. ET: This report is part of an ongoing NPR News Investigation into safety at the nation's mines. Earlier this month, Howard and NPR's Robert Benincasa reported about a pattern of safety violations at Massey Energy mines. And Howard has reported about how Massey CEO Don Blankenship's pay soared even as safety violations and injuries at the company's facilities went up.
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/...
(Reuters) - Massey Energy Co is under criminal investigation by the FBI after the deadly mine explosion earlier this month in West Virginia that killed 29, U.S. officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.
This was posted in the comments by cotterperson but I did not want anyone to miss it:
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has interviewed nearly two dozen current and former employees of Massey Energy in a criminal probe of the West Virginia mine explosion that killed 29 men, a federal law enforcement official said Friday.
The official said that in the interviews over recent days the FBI has been looking for any evidence that the company engaged in criminal negligence.
Shares of Massey fell earlier in the day.............
http://www.marketwatch.com/...
By Wallace Witkowski
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Massey Energy Co. quotescomstock/13*!mee/quotes/nls/mee (MEE 37.81, 3.35, 8.14%) said Friday that media reports of a criminal investigation into the company's West Virginia mine explosion are "unsubstantiated." Shares of Massey fell earlier in the day after National Public Radio reported the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into the possible bribing of officials at the Mine Safety and Health Administration and possible criminal negligence at Massey, following an mine explosion that killed 29. "Massey has no knowledge of criminal wrongdoing," the company said in a statement.
FBI interviews nearly 2 dozen Massey employees
By PETE YOST (AP) – 1 hour ago
http://www.google.com/...
WASHINGTON — The FBI has interviewed nearly two dozen current and former employees of Massey Energy in a criminal probe of the West Virginia mine explosion that killed 29 men, a federal law enforcement official said Friday.
The official said that in the interviews over recent days the FBI has been looking for any evidence that the company engaged in criminal negligence. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the inquiry has not been made public.