Consol Energy believes the fire at its Blacksville No. 2 Mine has been put out.

In an update Thursday, company spokeswoman Lynn Seay said continuous air monitors inside the mine show gas levels remain steady and oxygen levels continue to decrease, which are indications the fire is no longer burning. 

The fire was first noticed March 12 when black smoke was seen pouring from a ventilation shaft just over the Pennsylvania line in West Virginia.  The mine straddles the two states.

Five mining trade associations have joined together to file suit against MSHA over its pattern of violations (POV) final rule.

The five – Kentucky Coal Association, National Mining Association, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, Ohio Coal Association and Portland Cement Association - filed the litigation today in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.  The court covers Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.  The group is represented by the Washington, D.C.-based Patton Boggs law firm.

Consol Energy is making progress in its effort to extinguish a fire at its Blacksville No. 2 Mine.

“CONSOL Energy is injecting enough water to create a water seal from floor to roof across the affected area, and analysis of the atmosphere in the affected area is trending in a favorable direction,” company spokeswoman Lynn Seay said today.

A whistleblower will not be punished for his part in a violation he ultimately reported to Kentucky regulatory officials after a miner died in an accident attributed to the violation.

Mackie Bailey, 41, was exonerated by the state Mine Safety Commission at a hearing March 14 after his attorneys argued that penalizing the person who blew the whistle on the illegal mining practice was not fair and would have a chilling effect on others placed in the same position.

While great strides have been made since 2006 to improve emergency response in underground coal, a more integrated approach is needed that considers all the factors necessary for efficient and effective self-escape during a mine emergency.

Emergency personnel continue to pump water into an underground coal mine where a fire has been burning since at least Tuesday afternoon.

In a brief update provided late this afternoon, MSHA spokeswoman Amy Louviere said 1.2 million gallons of water have been put into Consol Energy’s Blacksville No. 2 Mine, which straddles the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border.  The average quantity per shift is about 125,000 gallons. 

Emergency work is continuing to extinguish an underground fire at a Pennsylvania coal mine.

Boreholes are being dug near the Orndoff air shaft where black smoke was spotted Tuesday afternoon at Consol Energy’s Blacksville No. 2 Mine near Wayne in Greene County. The Orndoff shaft is used primarily for ventilation and is actually located in West Virginia.  The mine straddles the border between the two states. 

A Boone County coal miner has become the fifth miner to die in West Virginia in the past five weeks.

Asa Fitzpatrick, 63, of Kermit died from injuries he received while he was preparing to install a rib bolt, state spokeswoman Leslie C. Fitzwater said. Fitzpatrick was a roof bolt operator with 40 years' mining experience.

"A miner was seriously injured when a rock fell from the roof of the mine and struck him," said MSHA spokesman Jesse Lawder. "The injured miner was brought to the surface and died as a result of his injuries."

Democrats holding senior and/or leadership positions on committees of jurisdiction in Congress are putting the heat on the White House to release OSHA’s long-stalled proposal to regulate crystalline silica.

In a letter last month to Jeffrey Zients, a deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), four lawmakers noted that the rule has been under review at OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for more than two years.