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SW: →September 2010: MSHA finds excessive coal dust: - add section
In an interview later that day on Bloomberg Television’s “InBusiness,” Blankenship said increased scrutiny from [[MSHA]] puts miner safety at risk because the coal industry’s engineers are better than government: “The feeling of the industry is that we’re regulated too much and not too little. Tragedies lead to more regulation." According to Blankenship, Massey miners are experiencing a “psychological” impact in the aftermath of the accident that’s affecting production: “It’s impacting production in that people are trying to make sure they’re in compliance with every rule."<ref>[http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-22/massey-energy-s-blankenship-says-regulation-of-coal-industry-is-excessive.html "Massey Energy's Blankenship Says Regulation of Coal Industry Is Excessive"] Bloomberg, July 22, 2010.</ref>
==Coal dust=====September 2010: MSHA finds excessive coal dust===
In September, 2010, it was reported that the search for a cause of the disaster had turned up evidence of excessive [[coal dust]] in the [[Upper Big Branch Mine]]. Analysis of 1,803 dust samples collected by investigators after the blast showed that 79 percent were not in compliance with federal coal dust standards, according to Kevin Stricklin, director of the coal mine division of the federal [[Mine Safety and Health Administration]]. The finding, Stricklin said in a press briefing, suggests coal dust has "more potential to be involved in the explosion."<ref name="hb"/>
===December 2010: FOIA shows miner did safety checks with forged foreman card===
In December 2010, it was discovered that Massey miner Thomas Harrah said he used a forged foreman’s card to perform more than 200 pre-shift, on-shift, and conveyor belt safety inspections at the mine, according to documents obtained by The Charleston Gazette through the [[Freedom of Information Act]]. Harrah had been employed by Massey at the Upper Big Branch mine from January 2008 to August 2009, until state investigators learned that Harrah’s certification number belonged to another individual. By then, Harrah was working at another Massey Operation -- again under a certification number belonging to a different individual. The report said that while Harrah had a state license to work as a coal miner, he was unable to pass the test to become a certified mine foreman, who perform safety checks.<ref>Anne Moore, [http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=91005 "Newspaper: Upper Big Branch Foreman Forged License"] The State Journal, Dec. 13, 2010.</ref>
===January 2011: Broken water sprayer system at mine seen as factor for explosion===
On January 19, 2011, federal mine safety officials said that a water-spray system that helps suppress explosive [[coal dust]] wasn't functioning properly when the Massey Energy Co. coal mine blew up. Kevin Stricklin, coal administrator for the [[Mine Safety and Health Administration]], also said the carbide cutting teeth on a piece of mining equipment inside the mine had worn down, which can increase the number of sparks from the machine. The worn bits likely caused an initial [[methane]] ignition, he said. The water sprays and cutting teeth are part of a massive cutting machine at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine, called a [[longwall mining]] shearer that would grind back and forth across the coal seam.<ref name=km>Kris Maher, [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704590704576092010277086204.html?mod=googlenews_wsj "Mine-Blast Probe Finds Malfunctioning System, Equipment"] Wall Street Journal, Jan. 19, 2011.</ref>
Shane Harvey, Massey's general counsel, said the company found that after the explosion eight out of 44 sprays on the shearer were missing. He said the sprays could have been damaged as a result of the explosion and wouldn't have had an impact on suppressing a spark or a fire. MSHA officials said they believe the explosion occurred at the shearer, and that a small ignition of methane burned for 60 seconds to 90 seconds before reaching coal dust and exploding through the mine: "We think it was small and then turned into a coal-dust explosion," said Mr. Stricklin. He said the agency hasn't entirely ruled out a roof fall or a conveyor belt as a source of the initial ignition.<ref name=km/>
==Lawsuits==