Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who heads the committee with oversight of federal mine regulators, requested the company produce 13 different categories of internal documents, including any complaints or transfer requests by miners, engineering studies and even preshift and on-shift exam books regarding the safety of the mine.
"Specifically, I am concerned about the safety of the mining operation at Crandall Canyon and the stewardship of mine operations" by Murray Energy and its subsidiary UtahAmerican Energy Inc., leading up to the mine accident that has cost three rescuers' lives and possibly those of six miners feared dead, Miller wrote to the company's legal counsel Monday.
Miller asked the company to respond within three days whether it would comply with the request, signaling a possibility the committee could use subpoena power if Murray Energy doesn't cooperate willingly.
Neither Murray Energy nor UtahAmerican Inc. responded immediately to calls for comment on Miller's request.
Miller's request is one of three congressional probes launched into the mine disaster and setting the stage for a series of hearings on mine safety and the potential for more stringent regulations and enforcement.
Several of Miller's requests ask for documents dating back to 2001, five years before co-owner Bob Murray bought the Crandall Canyon mine. The committee chairman also asks for communications between Murray Energy officials and the Labor Department or the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
In another letter, Miller asks Labor Department Secretary Elaine Chao for various documents, including some already requested by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Miller said his committee wanted information on how the Labor Department "carried out its roles and responsibilities in overseeing mining activities" at Crandall Canyon "in light of troubling reports."
The chairman asks for communications between the mine operators, engineers and officials for Utah and the federal government overseeing mining. He also requested any computer data showing "events" at the mine, meaning any seismic activity or bumps.
A spokesman for the Labor Department did not respond to a request for comment.
tburr@sltrib.com
