The US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued 161 citations during special impact inspections conducted at 11 coal mines and six metal and non-metal mines in July.

Special impact inspections began in April 2010 at mines that “merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.”

MSHA issued 85 citations to coal mines in July, including 20 to Peabody Energy’s Foidel Creek mine in Colorado and 17 to Contura Energy’s Deep Mine 41 in Virginia.

None of the inspected coal mines were citation free. Armstrong Energy’s Survant mine in Kentucky was the best performer with just one citation, while Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund’s (VCLF) Oak Grove mine and the MC#1 mine, which is owned by Coalfield Transport Inc. and Foresight Energy/Murray Energy, received just two.

Other mines to be inspected included Rosebud Mining’s Mine 78, VCLF’s Federal No. 2 mine, Alpha Natural Resources’ Ewing Fork No. 1 surface mine, Hubble Mining’s Mine No. 11, Revelation Energy’s D1A Garmeaga mine and the Fanco mine, which is controlled by RWE Trading Americas and JMP Coal Holdings.

In total, three mines were inspected in West Virginia and Kentucky with one mine apiece in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Alabama.

Edited by Jonathan Rowland.