Coal's costs keep adding up

[n2doc]

We hear a lot about a war on coal. But, to borrow another trendy phrase, amnesty is the real threat — amnesty for the coal industry.

How many more examples do we need of coal operators' lawlessness, aided and abetted by government apathy or impotence?

First, a stunning series by NPR and the Mine Safety and Health News this month detailed how 2,700 mine owners have gotten away with dodging nearly $70 million in safety fines.

Why should you care? Miners are injured in these delinquent operations at much higher rates than in those that pay their fines. Seven of the top 10 scofflaws, including West Virginia billionaire Jim Justice, control mines in Eastern Kentucky.

Then, last week, a ruling by Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip J. Shepherd laid bare the charade that is Kentucky's enforcement of coal industry compliance with the Clean Water Act. The judge described a state agency that barely even goes through the motions of enforcing the law.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2014/11/30/3567147_coals-costs-keep-adding-up.html?sp=/99/349/&rh=1

[Quantess]

1. K & R