General Discussion

WilliamPitt

(58,179 posts) Tue Jul 8, 2014, 04:42 PM Jul 2014

OSHA goes all Medieval on Freedom Industries...y'know, or not. Like, at all.

So, yeah, remember Freedom Industries? The West Virginia coal company that dumped thousands of gallons of poison into the Elk River, obliterating the drinking supply of some 300,000 people for weeks on end? The company that declared bankruptcy after the spill to make themselves judgment-proof? Our friends at OSHA (the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a.k.a. your tax dollars at work) finally lowered the boom on them, vis a vis a stiff fine for their deplorable behavior.

How big was the fine?

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...$11,000

Not The Onion.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Bargain_Basement

8 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

OSHA goes all Medieval on Freedom Industries...y'know, or not. Like, at all. (Original Post) WilliamPitt Jul 2014 OP

This message was self-deleted by its author Adam051188 Jul 2014 #1

WTF Autumn Jul 2014 #2

Did OSHA miss the secret bankruptcy. GeorgeGist Jul 2014 #3

If it had been $11K per DAY.............. CaliforniaPeggy Jul 2014 #4

Strangely enough, that's an appropriate OSHA fine jmowreader Jul 2014 #5

Amazingly, I doubt anybody will read your post, even though it's the most reasoned response MohRokTah Jul 2014 #8

Smaller guvmint! Less regerlations! Freeeeedum! progressoid Jul 2014 #6

Is there a case for bankruptcy piercing the corporate veil? dickthegrouch Jul 2014 #7

Response to WilliamPitt (Original post)

Adam051188 This message was self-deleted by its author.

Autumn

(45,079 posts)

2. WTF

Reply to WilliamPitt (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2014, 04:49 PM

Jul 2014

yeah par for the course.

GeorgeGist

(25,321 posts)

3. Did OSHA miss the secret bankruptcy.

Reply to WilliamPitt (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2014, 05:19 PM

Jul 2014

Bwahahahahahah, Freedumb™!

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,614 posts)

4. If it had been $11K per DAY..............

Reply to WilliamPitt (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2014, 05:22 PM

Jul 2014

But no.

Fuck.

jmowreader

(50,557 posts)

5. Strangely enough, that's an appropriate OSHA fine

Reply to WilliamPitt (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2014, 05:29 PM

Jul 2014

They were fined $7000 for having a non-liquid-tight containment wall and $4000 for a missing guardrail. That actually sounds about right. OSHA didn't concern itself with the 10,000 gallons of coal soap because it's not their department.

The REAL fine, the multimillion-dollar, CEO-in-prison, corporate-veil-piercing ass-kicking we're all waiting for, has to come from EPA.

MohRokTah

(15,429 posts)

8. Amazingly, I doubt anybody will read your post, even though it's the most reasoned response

Reply to jmowreader (Reply #5)

Tue Jul 8, 2014, 06:33 PM

Jul 2014

If the EPA fined them $11,000, I'd be pissed as hell.

progressoid

(49,990 posts)

6. Smaller guvmint! Less regerlations! Freeeeedum!

Reply to WilliamPitt (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2014, 05:47 PM

Jul 2014

dickthegrouch

(3,173 posts)

7. Is there a case for bankruptcy piercing the corporate veil?

Reply to WilliamPitt (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2014, 06:26 PM

Jul 2014

If a company no longer exists technically, because of bankruptcy, I think the officers who caused the damage, and are no longer protected by the corporate veil because it no longer exists, should be individually liable (again) for their negligence.

I say the 300,000 people harmed should individually sue the officers for their restitution.

Can some smart attorney turn that into a reality? (It might coincidentally help make bankruptcy less attractive to scofflaw corporations ).

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