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Governor Calls For Moratorium on Mining

Following the deaths of two more miners, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin is calling on the state?s coal companies to shut down. The latest two fatalities occurred on Wednesday in separate accidents, bringing the states mining deaths to 16 for this year alone.

Manchin`s shut down request is voluntary at this point, and most companies are expected to comply. The governor is pleading with state mine inspectors to speed up reviews so that all 229 surface and 315 underground mines are examined as quickly as possible. He also reports his office would file emergency rules, which are the next step in implementing mine safety legislation that was passed by the state legislature last week.

Mine accidents and tragedies have been in the news a lot in the United States recently, and Canada has seen a crisis in a mine as well in recent days. China regularly experiences mining accidents, with death tolls sometimes in the hundreds.