Feds Crack Down After April Mine Disaster

07:33

November 29, 2010

Julie Jones, left, and Cassie Jones, comfort each other during a vigil in Mullens, W.Va., Saturday, April 10, 2010, to commemorate the 29 miners who were killed in an explosion at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine. They are family members of coal miner Dean Jones who was killed in the explosion. (AP) — Family members mourn the loss of a loved one killed in an explosion at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine in April. (AP)

Months after an underground explosion that killed 29 men in West Virginia, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MHSA) is starting an aggressive campaign to tamp down on mines with safety violations. The federal agency is trying to shut down a mine in Kentucky that's owned by Massey Energy. The MSHA is also threatening to seize Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, where the deadly explosion occurred last April.

We get an update from Dennis Roddy, who co-authored a recent series on coal mining for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: MSHA puts more pressure on mines over safety
Here & Now: Mining disaster grips a community

This segment aired on November 29, 2010.