Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Judge Donald Molloy has set a status hearing for all parties involved in the W.R. Grace criminal case in Missoula, Montana, Oct. 24. The criminal charges were initially filed in 2005, and alleges W.R. Grace knowingly endangered the lives of mine workers and other Libby, Montana, residents. The company is charged with charged with violating the Clean Air Act by releasing asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from its mine there. Asbestos disease devastated the town of Libby, affecting miners who worked in the now-closed vermiculite mine.

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Monday the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the appeals of W.R. Grace & Co. and six of its top executives, who are charged with violating the Clean Air Act by releasing asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from a mine in Libby, Montana, according to a story today in the Missoulian. The decision comes two years after the initial criminal filing against the company, which has been delayed pending the filing of numerous legal motions.

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Monday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the bill that will provide $4.9 million for a mesothelioma research study. The bill unanimously passed the Senate, and passed by a vote of 121-1 in the House.
The 5-year study, which will be conducted under the direction of the University of Minnesota, will analyze death records and conduct screenings of current and former Iron Range mine workers and their families. The study will determine if there is a link between mesothelioma and the taconite fibers produced by the mine. To date, 58 Iron Range workers have died of mesothelioma.

The study also will include environmental research.

Funding for the program will come from a special insurance fund overseen by the Department of Commerce.

The Minnesota Health Department released its report Friday detailing a study of 58 miners who contracted mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, which is usually associated with asbestos exposure. According to Minnesota Public Radio, the report shows that the men worked in mines scattered across the entire Iron Range and reveals that nearly a quarter of the workers were employed in the mining industry for less than a year.

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