Coal Mine Health and Safety Act Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

U.S. Judge Tosses Suit in 1968 Federal No. 9 Mine Explosion

A federal judge in West Virginia has tossed out a lawsuit filed by relatives of 78 miners killed in a 1968 mine explosion.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley in Clarksburg ruled Friday that laws at the time stipulated there was a two-year window to file a lawsuit after the disaster.

Former WVU professor Bonnie Stewart unearthed the memo and wrote a book called No. 9.: The 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster. NPR also aired her story about the mine disaster.

The latest lawsuit filed in 2014 was based on a federal mine inspector’s memo written two years after the explosion at Consolidation Coal Co.’s No. 9 mine in Farmington indicating an alarm had been disabled. The families, who earlier had received $10,000 from the company, said they did not find out about the memo until 2008.

The disaster led to passage of the federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act.

Ken Hechler Remembered for His Work in Mine Safety

Longtime West Virginia Congressman, Secretary of State, and World War II veteran, Ken Hechler has died at the age of 102. He was known nationwide for his work in improving coal mine health and safety, among many other accomplishments.

Ken Hechler served in Congress from 1959 to 1977 and played a key role in the passage of the federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, comprehensive legislation that established federal ventilation requirements for underground mines.

Hechler also fought to limit the environmental effects of strip mining and preserve the New River.

Hechler was a combat historian during World War II and earned the bronze star and five battle stars. He was a professor at Marshall University, special assistant to President Harry Truman, and was the only congressman to march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, in support of voting equality.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting produced a documentary in 2008 on Hechler’s life. That documentary is available here.

Congressman Ken Hechler Born: Sept. 20, 1914

Congressman Ken Hechler was born in New York on September 20, 1914—and celebrated his 100^th birthday two years ago.

During World War II, he served as a combat historian and earned the bronze star and five battle stars. Afterward, he taught at Princeton University and served on President Harry Truman’s staff.

In 1957, Hechler moved to West Virginia to teach at Marshall College (now University). From 1959 to 1977, he served in Congress and became an advocate for coal mine health and safety and environmental protection. He played key roles in passing the federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act and fought to limit the effects of strip mining and preserve the New River. And he was the only congressman to march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama.

Hechler lost a race for governor in 1976 and later failed several times to regain his congressional seat. Between 1985 and 2001, he served four terms as West Virginia’s Secretary of State and became a vocal critic of mountatintop removal mining.

Ken Hechler’s book The Bridge at Remagen was made into a popular 1969 movie.