Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, right, during a visit to Patriot Coal’s Federal No. 2 Mine in northern West Virginia in August 2009.

While most of the media attention is rightly focused on the disaster at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine, a low-profile criminal investigation is continuing at Patriot Coal’s Federal No. 2 Mine in Monongalia County.

It’s not clear if we’re any closer to finding out more about what was going on at Federal No. 2 … but a key hearing in federal court seems headed to be delayed until perhaps early in 2011.

Currently, a sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 2  in U.S. District Court in Clarksburg for John Renner, the Federal No. 2 foreman who has pleaded guilty to faking important methane tests of seals at the underground operation.

But late last week, federal prosecutors filed a request asking that the sentencing be delayed, perhaps until after Dec. 1, 2010. The filing notes that Renner is cooperating in the government’s ongoing investigation.

Remember that Federal No. 2 is a United Mine Workers operation that lots of folks — including Labor Secretary Hilda Solis (shown above during a tour of the mine) — promote as a model coal mine.  Interestingly, you haven’t heard the Obama administration saying much publicly about this particular criminal investigation, though … unlike some others we could mention.

Also keep in mind that Renner has said the faking of methane examinations at Federal No. 2 went back more than a year and that he was ordered not to keep records when he found explosive levels of methane in sealed areas of the mine.

Stay tuned …

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