On Aug. 6, 2007, the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington, Utah, collapsed with such force that seismologists first thought it was an earthquake. The collapse resulted in the trapping and ultimate death of six mineworkers and three more who were working as rescuers .
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The crimes of the mine owners are well documented. The Mine Safety and Health Administration has cited the Crandall Canyon Mine 176 times since 2005 for “significant and substantial” safety or health standard violations. The same agency issued 33 citations against the mine in 2007 alone, the same year of the mine collapse.
Bob Murray, the owner, president and CEO of Murray Engineering, co-owns the Crandall Mine with Intermountain Power Agency (IPA) of South Jordan, Utah. At a press conference following the mine collapse, Murray lied and insisted that the mine was safe, in spite of his knowledge of the safety violations.
On June 28, 2007, in response to a congressional debate on environmental legislation, Murray testified before a Senate committee: “[The] courses of action being proposed by the U.S. House and Senate … will destroy the lives or quality of life of millions of working American families. … We feel very threatened, and frankly afraid, for these people, who only want to work in honor. … Rising energy costs will also cost American jobs.”
But Murray does not care about the lives of workers. All he cares about are the profits of Murray Engineering, whose 2007 sales totaled $468.1 million. Complying with safety regulations and any environmental restrictions would take away from Murray Engineering’s bottom line.
Warning signs were ignored. Crandall Canyon management never reported a mine bounce that took place on March 10, 2007, less than five months before and just 900 feet away from the site of the Aug. 6 collapse. A mine bounce is created when the immense pressures on the coal pillars supporting the mine roof cause coal to blow out of the walls or fall from the roof.
Cecil E. Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America International, said, “The plan submitted by the mine operator for mining the coal was flawed and should never have been submitted, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) should never have approved it.”
“[T]he fact remains that nine miners are dead today who should not be,” Roberts continued. “Family members have wept and been left inconsolable. Wives, parents and children are without husbands, sons and fathers. Our nation and its leaders can no longer watch these tragedies unfold, wring our hands and say, ‘how horrible,’ then stand aside and do little to prevent them.”
We wholeheartedly agree. Murray and the other owners of the mine are criminals. They should be held responsible for the death of the miners, not holding press conferences and testifying before Congress.
