WP: Coal Miners' Lawsuit Seeking Safety Measures Is Dismissed

[kskiska]

A federal judge yesterday threw out a lawsuit by coal miners demanding that the government do more to ensure miners have working oxygen supplies and know how to use them.

The lawsuit was filed in June after Congress had overhauled mine safety rules in response to the collapse of West Virginia's Sago Mine, where 12 miners died in January.

The United Mine Workers of America had sought to force the Mine Safety and Health Administration to conduct periodic checks of oxygen units and provide emergency training for all underground coal miners.

But U.S. District Judge John D. Bates said the lawsuit did not meet the legal requirements for forcing a court order.

"The loss of lives, and the risks miners presently face, weigh heavily in public discourse and are taken seriously by this court," Bates wrote. "But the tragedy of those events, and the need for greater protection described by plaintiff, cannot substitute for the requirements of the law."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/23/AR2006082301721.html

[acmejack]

1. Screw you, get back to work!

A little methane never hurt anybody, much... You don't like it, we'll get some of those Chinese over here with some H-1B visas, just like we did with the IT guys.

[L0oniX]

2. send in the illegal mexicans

[bperci108]

3. Sad, but not surprising...

Too bad that Mother Jones isn't here. :(


"...Union spokesman Phil Smith said he had not seen the opinion, but he noted that a lot was at stake in the case..."

Okay...and now what are you and the UMW prepared to do about it?

[struggle4progress]

4. On Starr's staff, * appointee Dec 01, and on FISC since Feb 06:

Judge Bates was appointed United States District Judge in December 2001 ... He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1980 to 1997, and was Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office from 1987 to 1997. Judge Bates was on detail as Deputy Independent Counsel for the Whitewater investigation from 1995 to mid-1997 ... In 2005, he was appointed by Chief Justice Rehnquist to serve on the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management. In February 2006, he was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts to serve as a judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/bates-bio.html

[brentspeak]

5. After which, Judge Bates shot a round of 18 at the country club