According to the Associated Press, Murray Energy founder Robert E Murray and its UtahAmerican division president, P Bruce Hill, have been ordered to give depositions on March 18 and 19 unless another date can be agreed upon by all parties.

 

“Our goal in speaking with Mr Murray and Mr Hill is the same as our goal in this investigation – to learn what went wrong at the Crandall Canyon mine so that we can apply lessons learned from this tragedy to ensure that nothing like it happens again," House Education and Labor Committee Representative George Miller told the news service.

 

Following the announcement, Murray Energy made a public statement that it is and will continue to cooperate with the investigation.

 

In other regulatory-related news, a US Senate judiciary committee voted late last week against a bill that would protect mining "whistleblowers" from retaliation after reporting unsafe conditions at their mine.

 

The AP said an amendment had been made to the bill that would permit miners to refuse to work in an area they felt was unsafe. While the proposal has its supporters and critics, the committee voted it down in an eight-to-six vote.