Safety? Companies fight AGAINST laws protecting their miners? MORE regs needed? What's to LIKE about coal mining?

Safety? Companies fight AGAINST laws protecting their miners? MORE regs needed? What's to LIKE about coal mining?

Deaths at West Virginia Mine Raise Issues About Safety

By IAN URBINA and MICHAEL COOPER
Published: April 6, 2010

Rescue workers began the precarious task Tuesday of removing explosive methane gas from the coal mine where at least 25 miners died the day before. The mine owner’s dismal safety record, along with several recent evacuations of the mine, left federal officials and miners suggesting that Monday’s explosion might have been preventable.

via nytimes.com

The very first paragraph of the piece highlights the absurdity of the headline: coal mining has *never* been 100% safe. Think about it. We're digging reeeeally deep holes into the ground and hauling tons of rocks out. Does that sound at all safe to you? We shouldn't be surprised when bad things happen in mines.

Here's something we should be surprised at, though:

Mines Fight Strict Laws by Filing More Appeals

By GARDINER HARRIS and ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: April 6, 2010

Armed with tougher federal mining laws passed in 2006, federal investigators had new powers to crack down on mines with persistent violations.

But mining companies have been able to fend off this tougher regulatory approach by challenging more of the citations filed against them.

via nytimes.com

This is a little bit like that story about insurance companies trying to find a way to keep denying kids insurance even though a new law says they can't. Why would mining companies willingly fight laws that protect their workers--an act which makes them look like utter scum (fighting *against* the safety of your men?) and rock stupid (dodge spending a few more bucks so that you can risk the lives of your meal tickets?).

A better question is this: why do employees for these mining companies still work for these mining companies? Would *you* work for a company that was trying to reduce YOUR protections? I'd want to quit and move to a town where I could work for a guy who DID care if I lived or died.

But an even BETTER question comes to mind after reading this NYTimes editorial:

Editorial

Another Mining Tragedy

Published: April 6, 2010

Representative Nick Rahall II, a Democrat from the district in West Virginia where disaster struck deep in the Upper Big Branch mine, summed up the mixture of sorrow and suspicion that followed the worst American mining catastrophe in a quarter-century.

“This is the second major disaster at a Massey site in recent years, and something needs to be done,” Mr. Rahall said on Monday.

via nytimes.com

The editorial goes on to explain how new laws need to be put in place, but I want to ask everyone this: Why even allow mining to continue? Isn't it about time we stop acting like children and clinging to Mommy's Energy Apron and started seriously developing alternatives to energy sources that require wars or extremely dangerous digging?

Seriously, kids. This shit's not going to develop itself and America needs to get back into the Innovation Game. Save the economy, save the world... INNOVATE.

Posted via web from thepete's posterous