Mine Collapse: Spotlight On Murray Energy

CEO Robert E. Murray Says This Is First Major Accident In 20 Years

(AP)  The chairman of Murray Energy Corp., the Ohio-based company that owns the Utah coal mine where six workers are trapped, is a strong Republican backer, a professional engineer and private pilot, and an outspoken critic of concerns about global warming.

Robert E. Murray insists his mines are safe.

"This is the first major accident I've ever had in one of my coal mines in 20 years of being in existence, the first major accident," he said Tuesday at a media briefing in Huntington, Utah.

Murray and the government differ over whether an earthquake caused the cave-in and whether the men were engaged in "retreat mining," in which miners pull down the last standing pillars of coal and let the roof fall in.

Rob Moore, vice president and chief financial officer of Murray Energy, said the privately-held company is a 50 percent owner in the Utah mine.

Moore, who responded to an e-mail interview request made to Murray, said he and Murray were too involved in rescue efforts Tuesday to discuss the company or its chairman.

Government mine inspectors have issued 325 citations against the Utah mine since January 2004, according to federal Mine Safety and Health Administration online records. Of those, 116 were what the government considered "significant and substantial," meaning they are likely to cause injury.

The number of safety violations is not unusual, said J. Davitt McAteer, former head of the MSHA and now vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.

This is not Murray's first time in the spotlight.

Murray is active as a leader in the mining industry, and in 2001, he testified before a House Ways and Means subcommittee, on behalf of the National Mining Association, in support of several proposed tax cuts.

Murray Energy Corp.'s political action committee has been an active contributor to GOP candidates.

The Murray Energy Corp. Political Action Committee has given more than $155,000 to Republican candidates, including $30,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, since 2005, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The committee donated to Republican Senate candidates such as George Allen in Virginia, now presidential candidate Sam Brownback of Kansas and Katherine Harris of Florida. It also gave to Ohio Republican Reps. Deborah Pryce and Patrick Tiberi, and Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich. The committee did not give to any Democrats during the same period, FEC records show.

In 2004, Murray gave $15,000 of his own money to the NRSC, and he gave $10,000 in 2006. Among other donations in the last election cycle, he gave $2,000 to Ohio Republican Sen. Mike DeWine's unsuccessful re-election campaign.

Raja V. Ramani, a professor of geo-environmental engineering at Penn State University, said Tuesday he has known Murray for several decades, since before he formed Murray Energy. He described Murray as "a good friend to education and universities in general."

Murray was formerly president and chief executive officer of North American Coal Corp. until 1987. He currently is owner of a number of private coal mining companies that produce about 20 million tons of coal annually and employ about 2,000 people.

His holdings make Murray Energy the nation's 12th largest coal company, according to the National Mining Association.

The companies controlled by Murray Energy include The Ohio Valley Coal Co.'s Powhatan No. 6 mine in Ohio. The Ohio Valley Coal PAC also gave thousands of dollars to Republican causes, including $10,000 for Bush-Cheney election in 2000.

Murray Energy mine holdings in Pennsylvania include Maple Creek Mining Inc.'s Maple Creek Mine.

Some other holdings are KenAmerican Resources Inc., which runs Paradise Mine in western Kentucky; The American Coal Co. (AmCoal), which operates the Galatia Mine in southern Illinois, and PennAmerican Coal, which operates the Burrell Mine in central Pennsylvania.

Projects under development include the Century Mine of American Energy Corp., in Ohio; the Lila Canyon Mine of UtahAmerican Energy Inc., in Utah, and the Spring Church Mine, of Spring Church Coal Co. in Pennsylvania.

[luigi999-2009]

I wish the media would get off Murray's back. My God, do reporters not know that mining is very dangerous and that miners must take the necessary risks? Every time there is an accident the media wants to play the blame game. Sickening.

[mistydd-2009]

I am a coal miner's wife as well as a coal miners daughter. I think that everybody that can not physically or otherwise directly assist in the rescue efforts needs to pray and asked God to take care of these families, and their loved ones who are under that mountain. This is a fear you live with everyday in the mining community.I don't think that it is fair to set mining aside as the most unsafe occupation there is. Lots of other jobs are very dangerous as well. If there were no coal, we wouldn't have a lot of the electricity we need today and would therefore be depending on other countries even more so than we do right now. I also wanted to say that these men know what they are going into. They know the risk and do it anyway, my husband would never do anything else, and been inside during a roof collapse that claimed a life. It is like it is in their blood. I think the news media should focus on what strong bonds these gentlemen and women who work together everyday have. The are the most respectful, loyal individuals you will ever meet, how important their services are to this nation as a whole.

[sjc_1]

CoalMomma,

Thank you for your experience, observations and insight. I came to the same conclusion about this guy just from hearing what he had to say and how he said it. Coal mining is a dangerous business and if they want to mine even more coal in the future, they should make it MUCH safer.

We all know the drill. If it is coal mining or coal burning in a power plant, the owners and operators want to maximize profits and that can mean cutting corners. This is what they teach in business school in the U.S., it should come as no surprise that is what business people in the U.S. do.

[coalmomma]

116 citations is not many for a mine. They get cited for EVERYTHING. What is a concern, is that Bob Murray applied to MSHA last year to piller mine this location, this mine has always been a longwall mine. IT was known as Genwall for Years and still is to those of us who live here. He then laid off every experienced miner at that mine. Anyone over 40 immediately got the ax. These guys who are trapped are new to mining as far as we can tell. Piller and "retreat" mining is very dangerous and should only be performed by very experienced PILLER miners. Most mines are longwall which is a much safer and technologically advanced mining method. And by the way there was no earthquake. I live close enough to the mine I would have felt it. It was WAY too shallow, what was recorded is widely known as a "bounce" I have personally met Bob Murray and he is an old, money grubbing jerk who thinks he can treat people like dirt. I for one am going to do everything I can to make sure he does not get the lease to open the Lila Canyon Mine here in Utah.

[sjc_1]

Somehow, I do not think that this is the right spokes person for that mine or the mining industry. I hope they find the miners, but to me it brings up other issues. Bush keeps talking about clean coal and how there is 200 years of reserves. Who is going to mine that coal and will it be safe to do?

[michellem99-2009]

donnie900, AND others, T

[pepperp1]

ok so they are saying it will now take a week to get to the miners...what does that mean, terrible news for the families, can not anyone help and go faster....

[motherjones-2009]

So Robert Murray gives big bucks to the GOP, blames unsafe conditions in his mines on natural disaster, and is a vocal skeptic of concerns about environmental issues. What a surprise!!!!!! Who cares about the safety of a bunch of easily replaced laborers? Can't let a pesky little thing like that hurt profits now can we?

[donnie900]

Oh..

Well, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about that guy mad at the media.

Why doesn't just leave them alone until they can get the men out?

[donnie900]

Hey look, you guys gotta stop criticizing these people and let them get those men out.

[pepperp1]

Oh big surprise, if 116 were what the government considered "significant and substantial," meaning they are likely to cause injury why was the mine open?