The Nation: Mine Safety In Deep Trouble

[marmar]

BLOG | Posted 10/04/2007 @ 5:48pm
Mine Safety In Deep Trouble
Matthew Blake


Two days of Congressional hearings on Utah's recent mining tragedy made clear that when it comes to government competency, the Mining Health and Safety Administration is neck-in-neck with FEMA under Mike Brown. Whether the Department of Labor agency proves as hard to clean up is the less certain issue that Congress-and mineworkers- face.

The two hearings, which were held seperately by the House and Senate Education and Labor Committees, turned into a civics lesson on "When Government Doesn't Work." MSHA's failure to communicate with families after the explosion of Crandall Canyon's mine roof has been pretty well documented. But the hearings additionally indicated that the agency lacked an effective inspection system, had no way to get needed information from other federal agencies, and still lacks a good-faith effort to evaluate its shortcomings.

As New Jersey Democratic Representative Robert Andrews ☼ noted to relatives of the six miners and three rescue workers killed, "We are sorry that government has let you down in so many ways."

The hearing's most startling moment occurred on the Senate side Tuesday when Kevin Stricklin, the MSHA public health and safety administrator, told the committee that a graduate student inspected the safety of Crandall Canyon. The grad student worked for Agapito Associates, a company that mine operators Murray Energy Corporation hired to inspect Crandall Canyon.

Stricklin testified that the written report from Agapito was submitted directly to MSHA. He did not know whether MSHA checked the graduate student's work. Stricklin additionally told committee chair Ted Kennedy that the Bureau of Land Management had discovered before the mine caved-in that Crandall Canyon was unsafe. But MSHA had no contact with the bureau until after the fact.

"This is like the CIA not talking to the FBI while we're getting attacked by terrorists," Kennedy said to Stricklin, ruefully adding that, "maybe the graduate student knew" about the Land Management's report. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?bid=15&pid=240126

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1. Orrin Hatch said Bob Murray and Kevin Stricklin

were highly honorable men that he has known for years....and earthquakes work in mysterious ways according to Bob Murray . . . and Stricklin has big time juice with Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, who is married to Mitch McConnell


What a putz! Bar none