Two years after UBB, coal-dust reform slowly moving forward

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As the second anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster approaches, attention remains focused on the ongoing criminal investigation and congressional inaction on mine safety reforms.

But some coal operators -- pushed in part by a U.S. Justice Department deal -- are quietly moving forward to use much more advanced devices to provide real-time monitoring of the levels of explosive coal dust in their underground mines …