Credit Steven Rotsch / WV Office of Governor
Monday marks 11 years since the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster in Raleigh County, where 29 miners were killed on April 5, 2010.
Federal mine safety investigators determined that a buildup of methane gas and coal dust led to the explosion at the Massey Energy-owned mine. It was the worst mine disaster in 40 years.
Massey CEO Don Blankenship was convicted in December 2015 of conspiracy to violate mine safety and health standards.
Massey was sold to Alpha Natural Resources in 2011. Alpha paid a $210 million settlement with the families of the workers and to address years of safety violations.
NAMED: I’ve known Steve Waggoner since the early 1990s when I became a new homeowner and used his services at General Building Supply in Huntington for materials and work. This