BILLINGS – Three Montana mines have been hit with dozens of safety citations in recent months as federal officials step up enforcement against mines that have had repeated problems.
The Montana citations were part of a nationwide crackdown on troubled mines that began after West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch Mine disaster killed 29 miners in April.
In Montana, officials cited the Stillwater platinum mine near Nye for 11 violations; Signal Peak’s Bull Mountain coal mine near Roundup for 44 violations; and Revett Mineral’s Troy silver mine for 24 violations.
The citations detailed 21 problems that inspectors said could cause serious injury or illness.
The mines drew scrutiny because of past problems, Mine Health and Safety Administration spokeswoman Amy Louviere said. Fines and penalties have not yet been assessed for most violations.
Telephone calls from The Associated Press to mine operators seeking comment were not immediately returned.
A Montana mining official welcomed the federal enforcement effort.
“It’s a good thing for safety; it’s a bad thing for the mines,” said Ron Umscheid of the mining section at the Montana Department of Labor. “They’re going to have to do a closer examination of their work areas and their safety procedures, and that might also mean more training.”
Umscheid said his agency was prohibited under a 1998 law from doing its own safety inspections of metal mines.