Bush Protects Mining Corporations from Miners

12 miners are dead in WVa, killed in a mine which had innumerable safety violations. Here is the US Government's website on safety violations at this mine for just the last 2 years, 276 in total.

What were the penalties for these hundreds of violations? Well, it seems they got their wrist slapped or, in many cases, a wrist slapping has been proposed. One fine of $878.00 has been proposed for violations involving fire supression devices. It was proposed 9 months ago.

A penalty for accumulation of combustible materials was $60.00. That is right, $60.00. Same for multiple violations involving methane safety monitors. Same $60.00 for violations of ventilation control regulations.

Now, we don't know what caused the explosion; maybe it was something for which a violation was previously cited, perhaps not. But, what we CAN say, without doubt, is that the miners were killed because MSHA had not closed the mine for its owners' flagrant, repeated safety violations.

W has worked hard to set corporations free of Federal safety and health regulations.

President Bush's closest advisers and sharpest critics agree that the shift in regulatory climate since he took office in January 2001 has been profound. But they disagree over whether that shift represents a harmful turn away from federal protections to benefit business or a useful streamlining of costly government rules.

W speaks as if Federal regulations are the problem; the fact of the matter is, Federal Safety and Health regulations save lives. At least, they save lives when they are enforced. What has W done regarding mine safety? From the MSHA Federal website:

UMW head of health and safety Joseph Main expressed concerns to Mineweb about the withdrawal of 17 proposed MSHA regulations which would have made changes in surface haulage standards, and addressed flaws in self-contained self rescuers. Other proposed regulations would have amended provisions regarding mine rescue teams, mandated more hours of improved training for miners, and addressed safety concerns for those working in confined spaces. Finally, the suggested regulations would also have addressed air quality and toxic chemical concerns.

"The Mine Act says that our mission and our mandate are to prevent injury, illness and death in the nation’s mines. We’re all about doing just that. If regulations help us achieve that than those are the regulatory or agenda items that we’re going to pursue," he said.

Just 2 months ago, W was accused of doing what he does best--putting people from the regulated industries in charge of the regulations [ie: placing the fox in the henhouse]:

For the past four years, the union has been dissatisfied with decisions the Bush administration's Mine Safety and Health Administration has made to place former industry officials in high-ranking jobs and eliminate long-standing regulatory proposals.
"They pretty much pulled off all the progressive regulations already," said Main, a former miner. "Those regulations should not have been withdrawn and make the difference between whether miners are protected or not."
Among the regulatory proposals no longer being worked on, some of them spanning years and administrations, are those addressing safety issues with self-rescue respiratory devices for miners, the shortage of mine rescue teams, problems with huge trucks that are the leading cause of mine fatalities, fire-resistant conveyer belts in mines, and improved air quality rules.
Since the new MSHA team came to office, 17 of the 26 rules that were in some stage of completion were taken off the agency's regulatory agenda. The union wants more attention focused on safety rules at mines since coal production is expected to increase under the Bush administration to fill the nation's energy needs.
David D. Lauriski, the assistant secretary of Labor in charge of MSHA, declined requests for an interview. In a written statement he said: "Priorities change in every administration and year to year our priorities have been and will be focused on improving the safety and health of miners."

We now see how well that worked out. I suppose we will hear W saying that we should stay the course, things are getting better all the time. In fact, W went so far as to disipline a mine regulator in 2004, something he has not even done for 9/11 or the WMDebacle.

February 24, 2004: The Mine Safety and Health Administration demoted the agency's top mine-safety official -- complete with a pay cut and relocation -- for raising questions about a federal government investigation of a mining accident in October 2000.

Yup, he was demoted for protecting the safety of Americans!

Was this horrible accident preventable? We don't know yet. But, it certainly appears that the Mine Safety Health Administration made it less likely to be prevented, by putting mine industry cronies in charge of MSHA, by demoting competent investigators who dared to question an investigation, by ludicrously small fines for violations, and by his mindless gutting of health and safety regulations.

BTW, how much money have mining corporations donated to W?

Through early August, the Bush campaign had received more than $230,000 in contributions from the coal industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
So far this election cycle, the coal industry has contributed $1.7 million to federal campaigns. Almost all of that money — $1.5 million of it — has gone to Republicans.
The biggest coal contributors so far have been Peabody Energy, $540,000; Drummond Coal, $200,000; and Arch Coal, $121,000.
The share of coal industry contributions going to Republicans has greatly increased, from about 62 percent in 1992 to 92 percent this election, the center reports.

That's right: the same Arch Coal that owned Sago Mine until two months ago.