House committee issues subpoena over mine tragedy

WASHINGTON — The House Education and Labor Committee subpoenaed Labor Secretary Elaine Chao today requiring her to provide the department's communication records on the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington.

Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., requested numerous documents just after the Aug. 6 accident that killed six miners and a later incident that killed three rescue workers, but the committee has not received them. He used the subpoena "as a last resort," according to the committee, which released a copy of it today.

The committee has a hearing planned for Oct. 3 to examine what happened at the mine, following a hearing in the Senate planned for Oct. 2.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., also has requested numerous documents from the department. Kennedy, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and other senators wrote the Labor Department Inspector General Gordon Heddell last week asking for an expedited review.

Miller's subpoena demands any communication between the department and Murray Energy, including CEO Bob Murray, as well as internal department communication and anything with other federal agencies or with the committee's investigation into the accident.

It specifically asks for all communication from Jan. 29, 2001, through today between Murray and Chao, Acting Deputy Secretary of Labor Howard Radzely, Acting Solicitor of Labor Jonathan Snare or Mine Safety and Health Administration head Richard Stickler.

During a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee meeting on Sept. 5, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he had not ruled out issuing a subpoena to Murray. As of last week, there had been no movement on that subpoena.

Witness lists for next week's mine hearings have yet to be finalized.

On the Net:

Copy of subpoena

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com