Last night, federal mine safety investigators told the families of the victims of the Upper Big Branch explosion how they think the tragedy occurred.
The MSHA believes (at least for now) that methane gas seeped into a mining machine and was ignited by sparks from the machine's shearer. What started as a small ignition turned into a larger one due to a large amount of coal dust. The end result was a massive fireball that killed 29 miners. And according to the MSHA, this tragedy didn't have to happen.
Officials stopped short of blaming Massey Energy directly but said that the mine was "non-compliant" in multiple ways. They suggested that the initial ignition would have burned out or been extinguished by the water sprays in 15 seconds had the shearer and its associated equipment and safety systems been maintained as required.
For one thing, the shearer's teeth were severely worn down, causing more sparks than usual. And the shearer's water sprayers that extinguish sparks and control coal dust weren't working. The significance? Methane ignitions are very common, but should never turn into massive explosions.
Massey is expected to conduct its own briefing for the families on Friday. However, the government has already shot down Massey's theory of an unpredictable buildup of methane. We already know that theory is horsecrap, based on how crazy high the methane levels were just days after the explosion. I worked in wastewater, so I know there is no reason at all for there to be as much methane as there was in Upper Big Branch when there hadn't been any active mining going on for days.
Some of the families naturally blamed the MSHA for letting Massey keep the mine open. However, the MSHA claimed it did all it could do. It said that it cited Massey for safety violations and shut down areas of the mine until deficiencies were taken care of. Somehow, it seems like if conditions were that bad, the MSHA could have done more, even allowing for the fact that the Bush Administration basically left the agency with one hand tied behind its back.
The criminal investigation is still well underway. Yet, this is yet more evidence that this explosion was a criminal act. It's also another reason why Don Blankenship belongs in jail--and why Massey Energy needs to be driven out of business.