The Story Behind The Latest Mine Deaths: Bush Regulations To Blame?

[kpete]

The Story Behind The Latest Mine Deaths: Bush Regulations To Blame?

As usual, the Charleston Gazette's Ken Ward -- a one man truth squad -- has the inside story of the mine fire that killed two West Virginia miners -- Don I. Bragg, 33, of Accoville, and Ellery "Elvis" Hatfield, 47.

I've already written about the Bush administration's withdrawal of a regulation that would have required underground coal mines to use improved flame-resistant materials on the type of conveyor belts that caused the fire in the Aracoma No. 1 mine. Ward reports today of another Bush era regulation that may have helped underground coal-mine fires spread. The rule, adopted by MSHA with strong support of the mine industry, allowed mines to use the conveyor belt --the same area where the fire broke out -- to draw fresh air to the working face where coal is actually mined. This arrangement, which had previously been illegal, could help carry flames and deadly gases directly to the miners’ work area, or to vital evacuation routes.

Davit McAteer, who headed OSHA during the Clinton administration had resisted this change, as had the Mineworkers union, but MSHA ignored these concerns.

MORE AT:http://spewingforth.blogspot.com/2006/01/story-behind-latest-mine-deaths-bush.html

[Ian David]

1. See also: 2006 Aracoma Alma Mine disaster (Wikipedia)

See also:

2006 Aracoma Alma Mine disaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The 2006 Aracoma Alma Mine disaster occured when a conveyer belt in the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 at Melville in Logan County, West Virginia caught fire. Two miners were trapped and eventually found dead; the other ten made it out safely.

The mine is owned by Massey Energy, whose CEO, Don Blankenship spent $3.5 Million in a bitter campaign to back Brent Benjamin's, a controversial nominee to the West Virginia Supreme Court. Blankenship has vowed to endorse at least one more judge to replace justice Warren McGraw who ruled against his company's plans to conduct mountaintop removal mining.<1>

Blankenship's critics accuse him of buying the court seat to secure favorable decisions in cases involving him and his company.

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Aracoma_Alma_Mine_disaster