Mine safety chief doing well at a tough job

More than anything, I wanted Richard Stickler, head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, to throw Crandall Canyon Mine co-owner Robert Murray under the bus last week. Stickler was in town to explain the findings of MSHA's investigation in the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, which killed nine men — six men trapped in the initial collapse, and three rescuers who were killed 10 days later during rescue efforts.

A total of $1.8 million in fines has been levied against the mine operator, Genwal Resources Inc., whose parent company is Murray Energy Corp., and Agapito Associates Inc., a mining engineering company based in Grand Junction, Colo.

The shorthand version of what happened at Crandall Canyon Mine was the mine engineering firm conducted a faulty analysis of the deep underground mine's design, according to MSHA. The operator failed to report to MSHA three previous "coal outbursts" prior to the Aug. 6 collapse. Although MSHA approved the mining plan, Genwal's failure to report the previous outbursts left no opportunity to alter the retreat mining plan or stop it.

When asked about dealing with Murray following the Aug. 6 collapse, Stickler was diplomatic. The bombastic, confrontational Murray (my words, not Stickler's) is a "tough person to work with," Stickler said in meeting with the Deseret News editorial board last week.

This was Stickler's second visit to our editorial board. I can't say that I know him well, but I have a sense of his manner. He's the kind of person who can be counted to be the grown-up in the room. Stickler wasn't going to throw anyone under the bus. The fines, the highest ever handed down by the agency for a coal-mining incident, spoke volumes about the gravity of the violations.

Besides, Stickler has plenty other issues to be concerned about as a regulator these days. Federal mine inspectors are receiving threats. Some mine owners will not grant inspectors required access. Mines that are cited for violations are waging full-scale appeals, which is a drain on MSHA's resources.

Meanwhile, the safety of men and women who work at mines — coal, metal and nonmetal — can be compromised when mine inspectors cannot properly conduct their jobs or some mine owners back up the system with appeals to avoid or delay paying fines for offenses. Yes, they're entitled to appeals, but for every single violation? It's preposterous.

If it can be demonstrated that mine owners intentionally blocked inspections or threatened inspectors, criminal charges can be handed down.