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2 Sago Mine lightning citations thrown out
Jul, 13 2009
(CHARLESTON, West Virginia) - A judge has thrown out two citations that accused International Coal Group of not protecting electrical equipment from lightning strikes prior to a deadly 2006 explosion at the Sago Mine.
ICG subsidiary Wolf Run Mining had appealed five lightning citations issued by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration after the methane gas explosion that killed 12 miners.
Investigators blamed the explosion on a lightning strike, but MSHA concluded the violations did not contribute to the disaster.
Judge Jerold Feldman of the federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission reduced penalties for the lightning protection violations from about $4,000 to about $1,000.
Feldman also approved a settlement involving 31 other citations in which ICG has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine.
SOURCE: www.dailymail.com
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