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Colorado coal mining company is cited in death of employee from Utah

A Colorado coal mining company has been assessed a “significant and serious” citation by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in the August worksite death of a Utah man.

MSHA cited Blue Mountain Energy Inc. of Rangely, Colo., in a report released Wednesday that detailed the accident that killed mechanic Jason Dean Stevens, 32, a Vernal resident and Ferron native.

Stevens died Aug. 3 while repairing equipment in the coal-preparation plant near the Deserado mine. A 1,400-pound “water box” fell on him while he was working alone to remove it from a large filter between the second and third floors of the prep plant.