Arianna Huffington: The deeper danger of Crandall Canyon

[marmar]

from the LA Times:


The deeper danger of Crandall Canyon

By Arianna Huffington August 23, 2007


Before the hordes of reporters move on from the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, taking the nation's attention with them, we should seize the opportunity to turn this tragedy into a teachable moment -- one that will allow us to look beyond the chilling safety record of the mining industry and focus on the larger issue of worker safety.

During the Bush administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency mandated to oversee workplace safety, has seemed more intent on protecting employers than workers. It has eliminated dozens of safety regulations since 2001 and reduced the categories of recognized workplace injuries. Despite the latter, 4.2 million workers were hurt or became ill -- and 6,800 died from on-the-job injuries -- in 2005, the last year for which government statistics are available.

Why does it take high-profile accidents like the ones in Utah before the well-being of American workers gets noticed and Washington passes and enforces worker-safety laws?

The unsettling reason hangs over the Utah mine cave-in like a cloud of coal dust: More and more frequently, federal regulatory agencies are being used to reward major political donors. Industry hacks are given key government positions not because they are the best people to protect the public interest but because they are ready, willing and able to protect the very industries they are meant to supervise, industries they have often just left.

Take coal mining. This industry has donated more than $12 million to federal candidates since the 2000 election and the beginning of the Bush era, with 88% of that money -- $10.6 million -- going to Republicans.

And what did that largesse buy? Mine safety regulators far more interested in looking out for the financial well-being of mine owners than for the physical well-being of miners. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-huffington23aug23,0,2276893.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

[waiting for hope]

1. I heard this morning on NPR that

also contributing to the problem is the US insatiable need for coal and that mining companies are taking bigger risks by mining in areas that have largely been tapped out some time ago - the price of coal is at an all time high and the profits to be made is what is driving these companies to dig in places that 20-30 years ago would have been considered unsafe. Yet another reason to cut our dependence on these types of fuels.