Inspections of coal mines mandated

April 15, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Gov. Joe Manchin on Wednesday ordered the immediate inspection of all underground coal mines in West Virginia after an explosion last week killed 29 miners and injured two.

Manchin also asked for the state’s more than 200 underground coal mines to cease production Friday to mourn the victims of the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years.

“I don’t know any better way to honor the miners we’ve lost and the families who are grieving so much,” Manchin said.

Manchin wants the miners to show up for work, but to help check on safety instead of producing coal.

“If they don’t go to work, they’re not honoring our fallen heroes,” Manchin said. “I don’t think there will be a mine or a miner that won’t honor those fallen heroes.”

Massey Energy Co., which owns the Upper Big Branch mine where the blast occurred, said a work stoppage was an appropriate way to honor the miners killed.

“Massey will use this as an opportunity to reflect on the events of April 5th and will focus our attention on safety and training,” the statement said.

If the rest of the industry complies with Manchin’s request, about 1 million tons of coal will not be mined, based on 2008 production data. At roughly $60 a ton, the stoppage could cost about $60 million in lost production.

It wasn’t clear whether other companies would cease production along with Richmond, Va.-based Massey, one of the nation’s top coal producers.