GILLETTE - A Campbell County coal mine that was found negligent in two highwall failures that killed one coal miner and paralyzed another miner in 2002 again put its employees in "imminent danger" recently, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Arch Coal Inc.'s Black Thunder mine was placed under order to close a section of the mine on July 31, then again ordered to close another section of the mine on Aug. 22 due to dangerous highwall conditions. The second order came after a section of highwall collapsed, according to MSHA documents.

An MSHA official at the Region 9 office in Denver said both orders are serious, and they're usually issued after an accident has occurred. However, no accidents or injuries were associated with the recent incidents, according to MSHA officials.

Both closure orders were lifted after repairs were made to the highwalls.

An Arch Coal spokesman in Gillette contacted Tuesday said he wasn't aware of either incident. The company can appeal the citations.

In 2002, two separate highwall accidents occurred at Black Thunder. The first, in January 2002, resulted in a debilitating injury to miner Les Butts. A large rock crashed down on a vehicle operated by Butts. He suffered severe spinal injuries and has not returned to work.

The second highwall accident occurred on Feb. 20, 2002, and killed miner Allen "Big A" Greger. A section of highwall came loose and smashed the rubber-tire dozer he was operating in the pit. An MSHA report concluded that the mine had failed to adequately ensure highwall safety.

As a result, the mine was forced to change its highwall management plan to ensure stability. Highwall stability is an increasing challenge in the basin as mines chase targeted coal seams deeper into the earth.

Black Thunder was hit with about 50 MSHA violations early in 2003 and appealed a number of them. Minor citations are common among Powder River Basin mines. However, the industry here routinely wins national safety honors, including the National Mining Association's "Sentinels of Safety" award, including Black Thunder in 2001.

Twice in recent years Wyoming ranked worst in the nation for work-related fatalities, according to the AFL-CIO. Wyoming's worker compensation laws also make it extremely difficult for injured workers or the families of workers who are killed on the job to collect monetary damages from their employers, even in instances of gross negligence.

Based in St. Louis, Mo., Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE:ACI) is the nation's second-largest coal producer. Its Black Thunder mine extracted 87.5 million tons of coal in 2005, while its Hanna coal properties in Carbon County were mostly idle.

Operations at Arch Coal's Coal Creek mine in the Powder River Basin resumed this year after being idle for five years.

Energy reporter Dustin Bleizeffer can be reached at (307) 682-3388 or dustin.bleizeffer@casperstartribune.net.