Major ventilation woes were not out of the ordinary at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia where at least 25 miners were killed in a methane gas explosion on Monday. According to Ellen Smith of the Mine Safety & Health News, Massey Energy, which owns the Upper Big Branch Mine, had been repeatedly cited for "flagrant violations" of health and safety regulations. Of particular concern, Smith told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, was the pattern of high levels of methane in the mine and the inadequate to negligent responses from Massey to address them. (MSNBC)
