DEC 2019 |
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Frank Bernheisel: The View From Here |
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Posted 01.13.15 Just Outside Washington FRANK BERNHEISEL
An Obama war on coal?
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) of the US Department of Labor announced in September that it had completed an inspection blitz of thirteen coal mines in seven states "previously cited for violations regarding respirable dust." Dust in coal mines causes black lung disease and explosions. These inspections resulted in federal inspectors issuing 150 citations and ten orders during the special impact inspections.
As an example, an impact inspection was conducted September 10 at Elk Run Coal Inc.'s Roundbottom Powellton Mine in Boone County, West Virginia based on the mine's poor compliance history with respirable dust requirements. Inspectors issued twenty citations and one order during the health-focused inspection.
The MSHA information stated:
The Roundbottom Powellton Mine was once owned by Massey Energy, the company that was responsible for the coal dust explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine that killed 38 miners in 2010. The Roundbottom Powellton Mine is now owned by Alpha Natural Resources but is still managed by a former Massey official who supervised some of Massey's most troubled mines. Massey Energy Company was bought by competitor Alpha Natural Resources in 2012.
The coal-mining industry seems to be a tight little club where mines and staff are rotated around to confuse the opposition. Also, while mines get citations and fined, they just keep on operating. Recent data from MSHA indicates that the nine most delinquent mines owe fines of more than $1 million each and mines that don't pay their penalties have injury rates 50 percent higher than those that do.
War on coal? You betcha! |
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