Sago climbing habit; the leaves are pinnate. Each palm trunk produces a single inflorescence at its tip at the end of its life. Sago palms are harvested at the age of 7–15 years, just before or shortly after the inflorescence appears and when the stems are full of starch stored for use in reproduction. One palm can yield 150–300 kg of starch. Sago is extracted from "Metroxylon" palms by splitting the stem lengthwise and removing the pith which is then crushed and kneaded to release the starch before being washed and strained to extract the starch from the fibrous residue. The
Sago Mine disaster reported that federal inspectors had approved the Sago mine for reopening the previous day. On March 16, the "Village Voice" reported that the mine reopened. The paper criticized, "So, not knowing what caused the explosion, or whether the mine remains vulnerable to that kind of accident, the mine owners started operations again as the federal and state safety officials stood by." ICG closed the mine on March 19, 2007. On December 12, 2008, they announced on their website they would be closing it permanently. Governor Joe Manchin announced on January 9 that he had appointed J. Davitt McAtteer, Assistant Secretary