{Washington, D.C.}...Investigations by MSHA, the independent team led by Davitt McAteer, and the United Mine Workers have agreed that serious, pervasive and widespread violations of basic safety standards by Massey were the root causes of the April 5, 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine. But the MSHA report, released Tuesday, also concluded that methane that ignited the deadly blast likely leaked from the mine floor through exactly the sort of mechanism as three earlier methane incidents, in 1997, 2003 and 2004. MSHA had recommended steps to avoid such incidents, but Massey never implemented them, and MSHA has admitted it didn't follow up. MSHA administrator Kevin Stricklin said Thursday that an agency "internal review" team looking into MSHA's actions at Upper Big Branch is likely to report that his agency should have done more to follow up on the earlier methane incidents and any Massey remedial actions, and it appears to him that it wasn't addressed, but he's waiting to be told that in writing. Stricklin also emphasized that improper safety examinations, worn-out mining machine bits, missing water sprays, inadequate roof support and a pattern of poor rock-dusting all contributed to the disaster. In a statement issued Thursday, House Labor Committee Chairman John Kline, R-Minn., said, "If MSHA failed to act on critical information that may have improved the safety of those miners, the people of West Virginia deserve to know why."
