Alpha is the mining company being bought by Cliffs.
CHARLESTON, W. VA. -- A subsidiary of coal producer Alpha Natural Resources has been fined more than $763,000 for repeatedly allowing coal dust buildup along conveyer belts at a West Virginia mine.
Alpha is the company being purchased by Cleveland-Cliffs, and the new company is now known as Cliffs Natural Resources.
Regarding the violations, Mine Safety and Health Administration Director Richard Stickler says it's "especially troublesome" that Alpha's Kingwood Mining subsidiary failed to remove coal dust accumulations along belts despite warnings from the agency and notes in the mine's records.
MSHA says it cited Kingwood 13 times from May 2007 to April 2008 for coal dust violations. A spokesman for Alpha, which is based in Abingdon, Virginia, had no immediate comment.
Alpha operates 57 mines in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
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