Labor Department bars state panel, reporters from Crandall Canyon probe

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_7011979

State commission, news media refused access to investigation
By Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 09/27/2007 01:22:57 PM MDT

The Labor Department said Wednesday it will not allow the Governor's Mine Safety Commission or The Salt Lake Tribune to take part in its investigation into the Crandall Canyon mine collapse.

Referring repeatedly to Mine Safety and Health Administration's inquiry as a "law enforcement investigation," the department said it had "grave concerns" about a request from the commission that it be allowed to participate in the investigation.

Permitting the commission access to information it gathers "may inherently compromise the integrity of the investigation and potentially jeopardize MSHA's ability to enforce the law," Labor Department Solicitor Jonathan Snare wrote to commission Chairman Scott Matheson Jr.

The department also said it would be inappropriate for the commission to have access to the investigative information because David Litvin, president of the Utah Mining Association, is a member of the state commission. The trade association's membership includes UtahAmerican Energy Inc., the operator of the mine.

Matheson had not seen the letter Wednesday and could not respond.

The MSHA investigative team for Crandall Canyon was announced Aug. 30, and work is already well under way. Investigators have had access to documents relating to the mine and have interviewed the mine's owner, management, miners and MSHA employees, according to the department's letter.

FULL story at link.