President Obama and the mine disaster investigation: Waiting for more transparency

[Omaha Steve]

http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/president-obama-and-the-mine-disaster-investigation-waiting-for-more-transparency/

April 23, 2010 in Conflict of Interest, MSHA, Mining, Occupational Health & Safety, Politics | by The Pump Handle

by Ken Ward, Jr., cross-posted from CoalTattoo

Shortly after taking office, President Barack Obama issued a memo in which he asserted this his administration

“is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government.”

The memo continued:

“We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.”

Well, Obama’s Labor Department has now received formal requests from two of the widows of the Massey Energy Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster, asking that the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) conduct its investigation of the disaster through the public hearing provisions of the federal mine safety law. But so far, neither the White House nor MSHA has publicly offered any response to these requests.

Were MSHA to grant the requests, all investigative interviews would be open to the families, the press and the public. There would be no exclusive access for coal company lawyers (as Gov. Joe Manchin’s mine safety director, Ron Wooten, has said the state would allow) or for the United Mine Workers union. Everybody would be able to watch and listen, and know whether the investigation was asking the right questions and digging for real answers about what caused this horrible disaster.

Are there potential downsides to doing this through a public hearing? Sure.

For one thing, it would take longer. For another, the scheduling and all other logistics — from the size of the room to dealing with meddling reporters and cumbersome TV cameras — would be more difficult. But is this about making it easy for government investigators, or about getting to the truth in a way that everyone can see is open and honest?

As I said, the state Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training has already said it plans to allow coal company lawyers to sit in on interviews that it conducts. That means the company lawyers won’t even have to go to the trouble of convincing miners to appoint them their “representatives” to get in the room. At the same time, it seems very likely that the United Mine Workers of America union is going to find several miners who will appoint them their “miners’ representative,” which will give the union access to the interviews and all other parts of the investigation.

FULL story at link.

[Coyote_Bandit]

1. Obama? Transparency?

:rofl:

[QC]

2. I hope they're not holding their breath

while they wait for the transparency to start.