Utah coal operators back away from deep mining 2 years after disastrous Crandall collapse

Utah’s deep coal operators under heavy regulation

HELPER, Utah — Two years after a deadly Utah mine collapsed, the state’s coal operators are backing away from rich coal reserves held deep under the ground.

Coal mines have come under intense scrutiny in every part of the country, with the Mine Safety and Health Administration tripling fines against all coal mines last year.

But in Utah, operators say they have been hit especially hard because of the extreme depths at which they dig for coal.

The risks are compounded by a common method of coal removal called retreat mining, which has operators sometimes flirting with disaster by deliberately inducing cave-ins.

But some mining experts question whether regulation has gone too far. They say the cave-ins are part of everday deep coal mining.

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On the Net:

Mine Safety and Health Administration: www.msha.gov

America West Resources Inc.: www.americacoal.com

Arch Coal Inc.: www.archcoal.com

Murray Energy Corp.: www.murrayenergy.net

United Mine Workers of America: www.umwa.org