Who is Robert Murray, owner of Crandall Canyon mine?
August 11, 2007
by TOM BROWN
Robert Murray is the man who insists he can prove an earthquake caused the collapse of the Crandall Canyon mine in Huntington, Utah, an earthquake which scientists at two universities say is the result of the mine collapse, not its cause. He is the man who claims global warming is junk science. He is the man who negotiates in bad faith with the United Mine Workers and resists efforts to improve safety at his mines and across the industry.
Murray's Claim: An earthquake caused the collapse of the Crandall Canyon mine.
An irate Robert E. Murray, chairman of Murray Energy Corp. of Cleveland, lashed out at the news media for suggesting his men were conducting "retreat mining," in which miners pull down the last standing pillars of coal and let the roof fall in.
"This was caused by an earthquake, not something that Murray Energy ... did or our employees did or our management did," Murray said, his voice often rising in anger. "It was a natural disaster. An earthquake. And I'm going to prove it to you."
CBS Channel 2, KUTV Salt Lake City
http://kutv.com/local/local_story_219192940.html
Fact: Murray Energy had filed plans to "retreat mine" at Crandall Canyon and was engaged in retreat mining when the collapse occurred.
In June, U.S. regulators approved a roof control plan for the "room and pillar" technique, also known as retreat mining, at Crandall Canyon.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration, part of the Department of Labor, signed off on Crandall Canyon's pillar safety plan, spokeswoman Amy Louviere said. The mining agency will investigate whether the mine was complying with the agreed-upon procedures.
Fact: Scientists at the University of Utah and the University of California at Berkeley say the characteristics of the earthquake are consistent with shock waves caused by a mine collapse.
Aug. 7 -- "Walter Arabasz, a University of Utah seismologist, said it's too early to pinpoint the cause."
"The evidence in hand is more consistent with the idea that the mine collapse was the source of the seismic waves recorded as the earthquake." A final answer, however, will require further analysis of seismological information, as well as that from the mine, he said.
CNN.com US edition
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/08/07/utah.mine/?iref=mpstoryviewAug. 9 -- "Now scientists at Cal Berkeley have looked at data from a lot of stations they say it shows a mine collapse, not an earthquake."
CBS Channel 2, KUTV Salt Lake City
http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_221180258.html
Fact: No other mines in the area reported seismic activity.
"Richard Stickler, head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, says his agency has heard no reports of seismic activity at mines near where the Crandall Canyon mine collapse occurred. If there were an earthquake, he says other mines in the area 'probably' would have reported seismic activity or had work stoppages."
"John Baza, director of the state Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, echoed those sentiments, saying his department received no reports of seismic activity at nearby mines during the period of the collapse."
Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 11
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6599166
Murray's Claim: "My employees are important to me and I take their safety to bed every night...My safety record today is one of the best in the coal industry."
Fact: Robert Murray is focused on extracting the maximum profit from his mines, not the maximum safety of his workers.
"Murray's Galatia mine in southern Illinois racked up at least 2,787 violations and more than $2.4 million in proposed fines from the Mine Safety and Health Administration over a two-year span, according to government records. That includes more than $1.4 million in proposed fines already this year."
"...his other mines have been the subject of a federal lawsuit over concealed safety violations, have been closed by state regulators and have experienced accident rates in some cases several times the national average."
"...Murray's companies have resisted increases in civil penalties for mine violations, opposed safety measures proposed after the Sago mine disaster and have sued the governor of Pennsylvania for ordering a mine there to close."
Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 10, 2007
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6589559
Other Robert Murray Resources
United Mine Workers of America point of view, circa 2001
http://www.umwa.org/journal/VOL112NO4/july1.shtmlRobert Murray contributes big bucks exclusively to Republican candidates
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/committees/murray_energy_political_action_committee.asp?cycle=06
http://www.politicalfriendster.com/showPerson.php?id=5730&name=Murray-Energy-CorpRobert Murray recommends more corporate welfare for coal industry
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/Legacy/srm/107cong/6-13-01/6-13murr.htmRobert Murray says global warming concerns are goofy, will wreck the economy and hurt the little guy
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704100009Coal is the enemy of the human race: Robert Murray can kiss my ass edition
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-roberts/coal-is-the-enemy-of-the-_b_54226.htmlA Squirrel Chats with Crandall Mine Owner (and White Knights Talk Backward)
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/08/10/a-squirrel-chats-with-crandall-mine-owner-and-white-knights-talk-backward/
St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN