Federal No. 2 Mine

Federal No. 2 Mine is an underground operation in West Virginia owned by Patriot Coal.

Patriot temporarily shut the mine in February and again in March 2010 after finding methane. In April 2010, the company said it received a U.S. subpoena requesting methane detection systems equipment used at the Federal mine since July 2008.

By July 2010, the mine foreman John Renner pled guilty for faking the results of methane seal tests at the underground mine. Renner claims that he faked methane records for nearly a year and that he was ordered not to keep a record trail when he found explosive levels of methane in the mine. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 2, 2010 in the United States federal Court in Clarksburg, although the proceedings may be delayed due to a reported ongoing federal criminal investigation into the mine's practices.

Mine Data

 * MSHA ID:	4601456
 * Operator:	Eastern Associated Coal LLC
 * Controller:	Patriot Coal Corporation
 * Union:	UMWA
 * County:	Monongalia
 * State:	WV
 * Latitude:	39.67
 * Longitude:	-80.25
 * 2007 Production (short tons):	4,020,116
 * Coal Type:	Bituminous
 * Mining Method:	Underground
 * Mine Status:	Active
 * Average No. of Employees:	 489

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