Life Azure | Dispatches From A Blue State
Bush Makes Coal Mining More Dangerous
Everything that the Bush Administration touches turns to shit. It really does. I heard a disturbing segement this morning on NPR about Bush and the Coal Industry. A Bush appointee to the Federal Mine Safety and Review Comission reveresed a 30 year old law requiring separate shafts be dug for fresh air and coal extraction, and a more recent law about non-flamable conveyor belts. Both of these safety restrictions are crucial to prevent fire-related deaths in the mines. Saftey commission was established during the Nixon Adminstration and the requisite non-flamable conveyor belts was a Clinton Administration accomplishment. Once again we have clear proof that the Bush Administration doesn’t care about people, only the Energy lobbyists.
According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, coal mine deaths decreased nationwide last year. In West Virginia in particular, there were three deaths in 2005, compared to 12 in 2004. What they fail to mention, though, is that there were 12 deaths on January 2, 2006 and two more a few weeks later. Do the math – it doesn’t seem much safer to me. Chalk another victory up to the Energy Prince.
Exhibit 5a | Creative Disobedience » Blog Archive » Centralia
[...] A while back I wrote a post about the dangers that miners face due to the laws that our president has backed reducing mine safety. One of the largest of these dangers is the threat of fires in the mines. I came across a large gallery of photos from Centralia, PA which are an excellent addition to my collection of abandoned buildings and urban decay. [...]