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Enforcement of mine safety seen slipping under Bush (Deaths & injuries from accidents at record low)
Mercury News ^ | Jan. 06, 2005 | SETH BORENSTEIN, LINDA J. JOHNSON AND LEE MUELLER

Posted on 01/07/2006 8:59:15 AM PST by FairOpinion

Since the Bush administration took office in 2001, it has been more lenient toward mining companies facing serious safety violations, issuing fewer and smaller major fines and collecting less than half of the money that violators owed, a Knight Ridder Newspapers investigation has found.

Relaxed mine safety enforcement is widespread, according to a Knight Ridder analysis of federal records and interviews with former and current federal safety officials, even though deaths and injuries from mining accidents have hovered near record low levels in the past few years.

David Gooch, president of Coal Operators and Associates in Pikeville, Ky., which has 200 members, said the size of the fines have nothing to do with who's in power in Washington. "It doesn't have anything to do with who's the president because, actually, the people who are doing those fines are apolitical," Gooch said. "They're employees that are covered by the federal civil service, and their own union, by the way, so they compute the fines the way they come out."

For coal mining, 2005 and 2002 were record low years for fatalities. Only 22 people were killed last year in coal mining deaths - down from 47 in 1995. The number of workers killed in all mines hit consecutive record lows of 56 and 55 in 2003 and 2004, respectively, but increased slightly to 57 in 2005.

"Within the last five years the number of fatalities have been cut in half," said National Mining Association spokeswoman Carol Raulston. "From our perspective that's where we ought to be focused. It is what is happening to the absolute number of injuries - and the rate of injuries - that has gone down. Mining is no longer the most dangerous industry in the United States."

(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: West Virginia
KEYWORDS: mineaccidents; mining; msha; msm
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To: Willie Green

"Except, of course, to continue economic policies that shut down mines (such as outsourcing our steel industry)."

Does it hurt to stick your head that far up your ass?


21 posted on 01/07/2006 9:48:23 AM PST by lawdude (LIEberals/socialists make up facts and history as they go!)
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To: FairOpinion
So you have no problem with the title "Enforcement of mine safety seen slipping under Bush" and slant of this article?

No, except perhaps that it's too narrowly focused and misses the overall picture of Dubya's pathetic domestic energy policies.
Despite his laisezz-faire approach to mine safety enforcement, Bush has actually done very little to increase safe development of our own domestic energy resources. As noted previously, he as actively pursued policies to drive our steel industry (a major consumer of coal) offshore. Heck, Dubya is a Big Oil puppet. The domestic coal industry is going to get the short end of the stick (same as the nuclear power industry.) The truth is, I don't even believe Dubya has the spine to fight for ANWR. He's too much of a "globalist" and hellbent on increasing our foreign dependencies.

The Timber industry.... there's another natural resource he'd rather import than fight for domestic production.

Nope. I'm certainly not a liberal.
But I have no problems with the title of this article.
Dubya is no friend of our domestic industries that utilize our natural resources.

22 posted on 01/07/2006 9:52:52 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: FairOpinion

"Mining is no longer the most dangerous industry in the United States."

Isn't Clinton Politics the most dangerous industry in the US?


23 posted on 01/07/2006 9:52:53 AM PST by freema (Proud Marine Mom-I love the DC FReepers!)
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To: xcamel

Isn't the relevant statistic not the absolute number of mining fatalities, but the number of mining fatalities per miner?

Looking at your figures, there was one fatality for every 3349 miners during the Clinton years (1993-2000), and one fatality for every 3553 miners during the Bush years (2001-2004). Looks like things are better now - and I say that as a Democrat.


24 posted on 01/07/2006 10:00:00 AM PST by leveler
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To: FairOpinion

That is just another example of how liberals can just say anything that comes to mind without a consideration of the facts.

Here is a link to the Mine Safety and Health Administration:
You can query all accidents and violations for any mine you like.

http://www.msha.gov/drs/drshome.HTM

My father has worked in the Mines of WV for 38 years, it is dangerous but it is getting safer all the time. He has experienced two accidents in all those years. One when a mining car break system went out going down a hill underground (he broke his knee jumping from the car) and another when an over zealous fellow miner sideswiped a coal wall with the mining car and my Dad's ribs were broken. He doesn't have black lung because he uses the respirators unlike many in the mines who look to cash in on their black lung benefits at the cost of breathing. (I've never understood this but that is the thinking). Those that wish to jump to conclusions about Mine safety often don't know what they are talking about, just as many who jump to conclusions about poverty in Appalachia. Tell me anywhere else where you can buy a starter house for 10-20,000 and it not be a total dump?

Sometimes I think liberals confuse having to do hard work to make a living with an indicator of poverty. My family has roots in the hills of WV going back more than 100 years having immigrated before the American Revolution from Britain and they survived well by farming and mining and though WV is not the most prosperous place you will find that around every corner is a patriot ready to help you out and pick up gun to do it if necessary.

It is my opinion having spent many years away from WV that people in most places have forgotten what freedom means and have exchanged their souls for chronic dependency in every part of their lives. Those in the mountains may not be rich but they know where they came from and they know the sacrifices their ancestors made to eke out a living and will still fight till the death defending their land and their personal sovereignty.


25 posted on 01/07/2006 10:00:02 AM PST by Ma3lst0rm (Poverty of soul is not easily remedied.)
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To: FairOpinion

In their zeal to make their federal budget look attractive, the bastards Clinton and Gore shut down the US Bureau of Mines in 1995/6 because they said it was antiquated and had outlived it's usefulness.


26 posted on 01/07/2006 10:00:20 AM PST by SpaceBar
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To: Ma3lst0rm
It is the POTUS's job to personally inspect mines/sarc
27 posted on 01/07/2006 10:01:06 AM PST by vrwc0915 ("Necessity is the plea of every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants,)
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To: freema

The amazing and shameful thing about those who are trying to use this to bash Bush - is that these are the same people who couldn't have given a $hit about coal miners the day before the accident, and who will not give a $hit about coal miners once the glow of the TV lights fades. They do, however, support environmental restrictions which make strip mining more difficult and shift more work to deep mines, with their inherent dangers. How many workers have been killed in accidents at strip mines? Probably a trivial number.


28 posted on 01/07/2006 10:04:05 AM PST by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: leveler

Sorry to hear of your illness. I hope you get well soon.


29 posted on 01/07/2006 10:06:09 AM PST by xcamel (Exposing clandestine operations is treason. 13 knots make a noose.)
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To: FairOpinion

This smells of Unions


30 posted on 01/07/2006 10:11:58 AM PST by Mo1 (Republicans protect Americans from Terrorists. Democrats protect Terrorists from Americans)
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To: martin_fierro

Aren't the Murkoids under new management? or in the midst of being sold off?

couldn't tell from this article.


31 posted on 01/07/2006 10:21:57 AM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Monthly Donor spoken Here. Go to ... https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Willie Green
Didn't Bush impose a tariff on imported steel, to the chagrin of most of us? Does he get no credit for that or does all the steel go to evil Wal*Mart?
32 posted on 01/07/2006 10:25:01 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
Didn't Bush impose a tariff on imported steel, to the chagrin of most of us? Does he get no credit for that or does all the steel go to evil Wal*Mart?

Bush gets no credit for his ballyhooed steel tariff because he simultaneously scuttled it with 1000s of special interest loopholes and exemptions.

The man is a fraud.

33 posted on 01/07/2006 10:33:22 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: xcamel

Amazing! in 1994 Clinton caused TWICE the deaths in 2004 under Bush.


34 posted on 01/07/2006 10:56:09 AM PST by boop (Testing the tagline feature!)
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To: Willie Green
...Beings they chased him thru the mud does that mean he is a mudback now?

I wasn't aware of that. Can you recall any off the top of your head?

35 posted on 01/07/2006 10:59:11 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
...Beings they chased him thru the mud does that mean he is a mudback now?
I wasn't aware of that. Can you recall any off the top of your head?

Say what???

36 posted on 01/07/2006 11:02:10 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
(such as outsourcing our steel industry).

Guess you never took economics, marketing and accounting, or worked in the free enterprise market.

37 posted on 01/07/2006 11:05:41 AM PST by Cobra64
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To: Cobra64

You guess wrong.


38 posted on 01/07/2006 11:12:38 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
LOL. You don't understand that???

It seems my copy and paste effort backfired.. I'll try again.

...he simultaneously scuttled it with 1000s of special interest loopholes and exemptions.

Do any examples of the exemptions and loopholes come to mind? The 10 types of steel covered sure riled a lot of people including the steelworkers union. It really riled the United Auto Workers because it forced the price of cars up which meant fewer sales and job layoffs.

39 posted on 01/07/2006 12:37:55 PM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: Willie Green

Until I read your post #22 I thought you were just an amusing Buchanan nut. Now I see you are really whacked out. No need to discuss anything with you from now on.


40 posted on 01/07/2006 12:47:50 PM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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