Feature Stories
UBB Report Released: MSHA Cites Corporate Culture as Root Cause of Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster
December 7, 2011
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration has imposed a fine of $10,825,368, the largest in agency history, following its investigation into the April 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch-South Mine, which was operated by Performance Coal…
Real Life Mining Stories With Leadership Lessons: New Leaders Need to Transition Smoothly
November 30, 2011
In today’s fast paced work environment, leaders transition frequently between organizational roles, company sites, and even among companies. How the leader deals with these transitions predicts the success or failure of the team. I have seen a number of new leaders…
Kevin Crutchfield: ‘New Alpha Headquarters a Testament to the Thousands Who Mine its Coal’
November 30, 2011
Alpha Natural Resources’ new $30 million corporate headquarters is a testament to the thousands who mine its coal, Chief Executive Officer Kevin Crutchfield said during Monday’s grand opening ceremony. Rather than cut a traditional ribbon, 14 miners from Alpha properties from…
The Life of a Miner is Musician’s Focus
November 27, 2011
Tom Breiding’s songwriting has always been influenced by Wheeling, where the now Pittsburgh-based musician grew up. With images of mills, bridges and railroads, Breiding said his memories of Wheeling at its height still stick with him. “Growing up there, it was…
Real Life Mining Stories With Leadership Lessons: Good Leaders Use Effective Delegation Techniques
November 15, 2011
In my first month as a coal miner, there were many learning opportunities. After I had worked in the mines for one month, I was offered the opportunity to work a weekend shift for time and a half pay. Since union…
Commentary: The EPA’s Reliability Cover-Up
November 14, 2011
Some 830,000 Connecticut customers are only now having their power restored after a snowstorm knocked out the state’s grid last month — but the Environmental Protection Agency continues to claim that its regulatory agenda won’t degrade U.S. electric reliability. The reality…
Top Mine Regulator Joe Main Has Turned Up Heat
November 9, 2011
After the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster killed 29 miners last year, federal coal-mine regulators launched a new program of safety blitzes, showing up unannounced at mines in Kentucky and other states, seizing telephones so people underground would get no warning,…
Former Montana State University Football Player Hopes His Research Will Benefit Eastern Montana
November 9, 2011
Talk to the people of Broadus, and you’ll hear lots of fond stories about Elliott Barnhart, the native son who played football for Montana State University from 2004 to 2007. Talk to Barnhart, and you’ll hear plenty of affection for his…
Canada’s University of Waterloo Recreates Old Mining Tunnel on Campus
November 9, 2011
Peter Russell looks like a man who has hit the motherlode. Stepping into a new exhibit in the Earth Sciences Museum at University of Waterloo, Russell, the museum’s curator, could well be a miner heading underground to seek silver. The exhibit…
Commentary: There’s a War on America’s Biggest Energy Resource and Jobs are the Casualties
November 8, 2011
Economists call it “the jobs multiplier effect” — each new job created in turn supports other new jobs. A new pool of workers means new salaries being spent in local economies for everyday needs at places like the supermarket, the car…
