Alpha Natural Resources And Don Blankenship Sued

• {West Virginia}...Cranberry, Pa.-based Mine Safety Appliances has sued Alpha Natural Resources and former Massey head Don Blankenship in Mingo Circuit Court. The lawsuit claims Massey officials did not comply with federal regulations that require mine operators to maintain proper ventilation and limit miners' exposure to coal dust that causes deadly black lung disease. MSA spokesman Mark Deasy says MSA lawyers filed the complaint to make Alpha a third-party defendant in an existing lawsuit filed against MSA by former Massey foreman Dusty Dotson, who developed lung disease after working for years at underground coal mines.