American Consolidated Natural Resources
Murray Energy is a US-based coal mining company. It is the fourth largest coal producer in the country, and the largest privately owned coal company.[1][a] Founded in 1988 by Robert E. Murray, the company announced in 2019 that was would be filing for bankruptcy. The company gained notoriety following the collapse of the Crandall Canyon Mine in 2007, following a number of citations and fines for safety practices at the site.
History
Murray Energy was founded by Robert E. Murray in 1988 through the acquisition of a single mine.[2]
One of Murray Energy's first acquisitions was the Powhatan No. 6 mine in Alledonia, Ohio. The Powhatan mine is the only mine operated by a Murray Energy Corporation independent operating subsidiary that is unionized.[3][4] Murray Energy Corporation produces approximately 30 million tons of bituminous coal each year and employs approximately 3,000 people in the United States.[5]
In 2013 the company acquired Consol Energy Inc, consisting of five mines and a fleet of more than 600 barges and other ships.[6]
According to the company's website, as of 2019, they employed some 7,000 workers in the US and South America.[7] The company is headquartered in St. Clairsville, Ohio.[8]
Crandall Canyon Mine collapse
In August 2007 six miners were trapped at the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah, of which Murray Energy independent operating subsidiary UtahAmerican Energy had been a part-owner for 12 months. Prior to the collapse, the Crandall Canyon Mine had received 64 violations and $12,000 in fines.[9][10][11] He says that the safety violations were trivial and included violations such as not having enough toilet paper in the restroom.[9] However, some news agencies reported troubling violations at other Murray operations. CNN specifically cited Murray's Illinois Galatia mine, which had almost 3,500 safety citations in the prior two and a half years.[12]
On July 24, 2008, the U.S. government's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced its highest penalty for coal mine safety violations, $1.85 million, for the collapse. The government fined Genwal Resources $1.34 million "for violations that directly contributed to the deaths of six miners last year," plus nearly $300,000 for other violations. The government also levied a $220,000 fine against a mining consultant, Agapito Associates, "for faulty analysis of the mine's design."[13]
Following the Crandall Canyon tragedy, the Mine Safety and Health Administration also was faulted by its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Labor, both for lax oversight before the collapse and for its handling of a haphazard rescue effort that left three more people dead.[14] An independent review of MSHA's role in Crandall Canyon by retired MSHA managers Earnest Teaster and Joseph Pavlovich, found that the agency failed to properly consider bounce activity in the mine prior to approving the mining plan, failed to properly evaluate the roof control plan and failed to follow established mine rescue protocols at all times at Crandall Canyon Mine. Specifically, the authors wrote that, "MSHA's failure to adequately evaluate the roof control plans contributed to the August 6 accident."[15] An independent review of MSHA's actions at Crandall Canyon also faults the agency for failing to control access to the mine, concluding that "MSHA improperly allowed media representatives and family members to enter the rescue area, and allowed an unlimited number of persons underground during the rescue operation."[15]
Bankruptcy
Murray Energy announced in October 2019 that the company was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and that Robert Murray would step down as CEO, but remain with the company as chairman of their board.[2] Murray was to be replaced by his nephew Robert Moore, formerly of Murray Energy subsidiary Foresight Energy.[8]
Notes
- ^ The four larger coal US coal companies, Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and Cloud Peak Energy, are all publicly traded rather than privately owned.[1]
References
- ^ a b Swart, Broghan (November 8, 2019). "Is Murray Energy the nation's largest coal company?". PolitiFact. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ a b Telford, Taylor; Grandoni, Dino (October 29, 2019). "Murray Energy files for bankruptcy as coal's role in U.S. power dwindles". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ Junkins, Casey (Aug 23, 2017). "Murray Energy Powhatan No. 6 Mine Officially Closed Near Beallsville". Wheeling News-Register. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Murray Energy Powhatan No. 6 Mine Closing". Coal Age. May 4, 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2017-08-23. The mine closed in 2016.
- ^ Egan, Matt (Aug 22, 2017). "Trump rejects cry for help from coal execs". CNN Money. Retrieved Aug 22, 2017.
- ^ "Consol selling West Virginia coal mines to Murray Energy". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Associated Press . October 28, 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Company Overview". Murray Energy. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ a b Brady, Jeff (October 29, 2019). "Major Coal Producer And Trump Booster Files For Bankruptcy". NPR. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ a b Gehrke, Robert (Aug. 8, 2007). "Murray's meltdown: Angry, rambling briefing draws rebukes". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved on August 14, 2007.
- ^ "Murray's Illinois mine has 2,787 violations since 2005" Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved on August 10, 2007.
- ^ Goldman, Russell (Aug. 8, 2007). "Mine Owner Faces Old Foes After Collapse". ABC News. Retrieved on August 10, 2007.
- ^ "CNN Delves Into Robert Murray's Safety Record...17 Days Later ". The Huffington Post. Retrieved on August 30, 2010.
- ^ "Feds blame mine operator for fatal collapse". CNN. July 24, 2008.
- ^ Year after mine collapse, many failures clear, Associated Press, Aug. 6, 2008, Retrieved 2008-08-06
- ^ a b Teaster, E., Palovich, J., (July, 2008) Independent review of MSHA's actions at Crandall Canyon Mine; U.S. Department of Labor