Coal mine where fire struck had long history of safety and health violations

In the same span, the mine was assessed 172 violations deemed “Significant and Substantial,” a designation the MSHA uses for hazards reasonably likely to result in serious injury.

In the months leading up to the Jan. 13 fire, after which no injuries were reported, the Leer South Mine was hit with Significant and Substantial violations of statutes requiring:

• Adequate insulation and protection of power wires and cables
• Support or control of work areas to prevent hazards related to roof and pillar falls as well as coal and rock bursts
• Maintenance of ventilation controls
• Following an approved ventilation plan designed to control methane and dust

The MSHA collected just over $835,000 in mine safety and health fine penalties for the mine since the start of 2022, per agency data.

The controller of the mine, the newly formed, Cecil Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania-based Core Natural Resources, did not respond to a request for comment. Core was formed this month through a merger between what had been two of the country’s largest coal companies, Arch Resources and CONSOL Energy.

Arch Resources was the controller of four mines, including three in West Virginia, where fatal incidents occurred in an eight-week span last year.

Spokespeople for the U.S. Department of Labor and West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training said this week the incident was under investigation.

Company laments ‘combustion-related’ production setbacks

Core announced last week in a news release it was working to temporarily seal a mine longwall panel to extinguish what it called “isolated combustion-related activity.” Core projected a return to development work with continuous miners within three months and a midyear resumption of longwall mining.

Longwall mining is a mechanized way to extract coal from underground seams. A continuous miner is a machine that cuts and loads coal in a continuous operation.

“While we are disappointed that we may be losing around two quarters of longwall production at Leer South, we are confident we are taking the right steps to protect the mine, mining equipment, and infrastructure,” Core CEO Paul Lang said in a company statement.

Lang said Core has “a good understanding of where the combustion-related activity is occurring” and expressed confidence it didn’t threaten longwall equipment.

Working with federal and state officials, Core plans to temporarily seal the active longwall panel and use water and nitrogen to extinguish the “combustion-related activity,” Lang said, predicting that would result in “the most expeditious resumption of mining.”

3 fatal incidents in 2024 at Arch-controlled mines

Core announced the completion of the merger between Arch Resources and CONSOL Energy last week, predicting $110 million to $140 million in annual cost savings and “synergies” as well as potential to “return significant capital to stockholders” with ‘industry-leading cash generation and a strong balance sheet.”

Prior to the merger, the Leer South Mine had been controlled by Arch Resources, which also controlled mines where three fatal mining incidents occurred in West Virginia in August and September last year.

On Aug. 5, William Crandell, 57, a locomotive operator, was injured at an Arch Resources-controlled Leer Mine in Taylor County when unexpected movement of airbags caused a longwall electrical power car drawbar to strike him in the head during work to rerail the car, according to a MSHA report. Crandell died from his injuries two days later, per MSHA reporting.

The MSHA concluded in a final fatality report the incident happened because mine operator ACI Tygart Valley didn’t properly install track rails to accommodate all equipment that would use them, properly train all miners on the use of airbags to rerail track-mounted equipment or have sufficient written guidance on that use.

On Sept. 6, Gary Chapman, 33, a continuous mining machine operator, died when he was struck by falling rock from the mine roof at the Arch Resources-controlled Mountaineer II Mine in Logan County.

The incident occurred because mine operator Mingo Logan Coal LLC didn’t comply with an approved roof control plan, conduct sufficient examinations of the work area or have procedures to prevent miners from working or traveling under an unsupported roof, the MSHA concluded in a final fatality report.

On Sept. 28, Colton Walls, 34, an electrician, was injured while realigning longwall shields, according to a preliminary MSHA fatality report. His death six days later meant a second fatal incident at the Leer Mine in Logan County in fewer than eight weeks. A final report has not yet been released for Walls’ death.

A fourth fatal incident at an Arch Resources-controlled mine during that span happened at a mine in Colorado, where miner Leonard Barnes, 62, died while shoveling coal off a belt conveyor, according to a preliminary MSHA fatality report. A final report has not yet been released for Barnes’ death.