HELP Committee Releases Report on Crandall Canyon
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions (HELP) Committee released
an investigative report titled, “Report on the
August 6, 2007 Disaster at Crandall Canyon
Mine.” The report discusses the findings of
investigation into the events leading up to
the mine collapse. The key findings of the
report included:
• Murray Energy and its technical consultant,
Agapito Associates, failed to make
sufficiently conservative engineering
assumptions and ignored the history of
the mine’s instability. Had they been
cautious and conservative, the company
may have scaled down the plan, or perhaps
done away with it entirely. Instead,
they rapidly pushed it ahead.
• MSHA missed significant flaws in Agapito’s
analysis, dismissed critical findings
by MSHA’s own engineer, and did not submit
the plans–which proposed one of the
most hazardous mining operations ever
attempted–for review by MSHA’s expert
technical staff. Had they been exacting
and cautious in their review, MSHA may
have significantly modified or refused to
approve the plans. Instead, MSHA
approved the plans with minor changes.
• Murray Energy ignored substantial evidence
of instability during mining operations,
continuing to extract coal despite
mounting evidence of danger in the
North Barrier. According to the report,
the company could have taken the time
to notify MSHA of these conditions, stop
mining, and reassess the risks. Instead,
they continued mining.
• MSHA also ignored red flags during mining
that should have prompted an exacting
and cautious review of mining operations—
the most obvious being the March
bounce that closed the North barrier.
Had they thoroughly investigated the
March bounce, closely monitored conditions
thereafter, and rigorously reviewed
the company’s revised plan for the South
barrier, MSHA may have required greater
safety precautions or prohibited mining
in the South entirely. Instead, MSHA
allowed the company to continue.
• Murray Energy encountered—and ignored—
instability in the South Barrier
Where the Accident Occurred. Again,
they did not take the time to report to
MSHA and reassess, but continued mining,
retreating under deeper cover.
• Murray Energy may have been conducting
unauthorized mining right before the mine
collapse. The evidence uncovered by the
investigation reflects that Murray Energy
was illegally mining the remnant barrier
pillar just before the August accident.
• MSHA entered into an illegal agreement
with Murray Energy. The evidence strongly
suggests that MSHA entered into an informal
agreement with a Murray Energy
official agreeing that MSHA would relax
the reporting requirements for seismic
events occurring at Murray Energy mines.
The full text of the report and exhibits
are available at www.kennedy.senate.gov
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