{West Virginia}...Federal regulators have labeled coal mines in Tennessee and West Virginia pattern violators a second time for failing to maintain safety improvements. The Mine Safety and Health Administration on Thursday issued notices to Solid Fuel Inc.’s No. 1 Mine in Claiborne County, Tennessee and Rhino Eastern LLC’s Eagle 1 Mine near Bolt. Both had taken corrective actions and met safety goals during their last evaluations, but MSHA says they’ve failed to maintain them and are no longer making good-faith efforts to eliminate violations. In the five months, Solid Fuel’s rate of significant and substantial violations more than quadrupled, and Rhino’s rate increased sixfold. A Rhino miner was killed in June when a 32-foot-long section of wall collapsed on him. Rhino is owned by Kentucky-based Rhino Resource Partners.
