Massey Energy Statement On Senator Harkin's Hearing Regarding Mine Safety

JULIAN, W. Va., May 20, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Massey Energy Company issued the following statement today:

Don L. Blankenship, Chairman & CEO said, "We are pleased that Sen. Tom Harkin said today, during a Congressional hearing, that he intends to question the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration on why its investigation of the Upper Big Branch mine accident on April 5 should not be conducted entirely in the open. We and others have called for transparency in this investigation to ensure that everyone's actions before the accident -- including MSHA's -- receive full public scrutiny.

"As we have said previously, prior to the accident MSHA effectively ordered us to change our ventilation plan by rejecting the plans we submitted. Only by adopting a ventilation plan with changes we did not like, but that were effectively required by MSHA, were we able to proceed with mining operations at Upper Big Branch."

Blankenship added, "I was pleased with the hearing this afternoon and appreciate that Senator Harkin asked me to testify. We are committed to safety at Massey and this hearing is a step in the process of determining what happened at Upper Big Branch as well improving miner safety across the United States."

Massey Energy Company, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, with operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia, is the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia and is included in the S&P 500 Index.

SOURCE Massey Energy Company