Upper Big Branch Mine Superintendent Faces Federal Charges

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Gary May, 43, of Bloomingrose, West Virginia, a mine superintendent, has been charged with conspiracy to impede MSHA's enforcement work at Massey's Upper Big Branch operation from February 2008 until April 5, 2010, the day of the fatal explosion which killed 29 workers.  May is named in a federal information with the US Attorney's office in Charleston. May, who began working at UBB in February 2008 as a mine foreman and was promoted to the mine superintendent in October 2010, had control over at least three room-and-pillar mining operations in preparation for longwall mining. Federal prosecutors allege May implemented a system within the UBB complex to send forewarning when federal mine inspectors arrived at the property, ordered the redirection of air flow into a section of the mine where dust samples were to be collected during an inspection, improving the sample beyond what would be normal air quality during a working shift, and,on occasion, order the mine's log to be altered so as to omit the reporting of any safety hazards noted during pre-shift inspections. Finally, the information charges a methane monitoring system on a continuous mining machine triggered a safety shutoff. Investigators say May ordered electricians to rewire the monitor to by-pass the safety switch.