[Jack Wilson]

Why not just make it against the law for anything bad to happen ever?

[Jack Black]

What power does a Governor have to unilaterally shut down an entire industry, the biggest in the state. Absurd. I'm sure the Governor of Michigan never tried to shut down the auto industry, even when people died in coke oven accidents, or had limbs sheered off by stamping machines.

[onyx]

Kneejerk democrat governor.

[bert]

Because the UMWA wants the jobs but it wants absolute control over the workplace.

[Mr. Brightside]

Who pays the bills at the coal companies while the governor does his thing?

[bert]

Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that the UmWA is a terrorist organization that teaches members to destroy property and block public roads and do all sorts of things to intimidate.

[Mad_as_heck]

Why not just make it against the law for anything bad to happen ever?

All the President needs to do it wave his magic wand and everything icky in the world will just go away. He won't though because of the oil companies. Or something.

(Give the unions in WV time and they will manage to solidarity themselves out of their jobs.)

[USN40VET]

You hit the nail on the head. This is one major problem with mine safety now. There was a time when a big stick enforcement approach was necessary. When it was implemented, a big reduction in fatalities followed. The problem is, following the big initial improvement achieved by aggressive enforcement, mining is still having 50 to 100 fatalities per year. Regardless of what one reads in the media, enforcement remains vigorous at mines. Look at all the violations mine operators are cited with, yet still fatalities occur. Even if the inspectors ran the mines, it would not solve the problem. What is the solution? Pass more laws? Increase fines? This is all the politicians know how to do and it is pushed by the unions. It has not worked for the past 15 years, and it will not eliminate fatalities now. It is akin to expecting the State Police to eliminate fatalities on the highway. Vigorous presence of State Police on a highway might reduce fatalities. It won't eliminate them. Pass more road rules? Won't fix the problem. Actually, there are a few tweaks in the existing regulations that should be made. The basic infrastructure of some mines could be improved, such as how the sections are ventilated, and the fire resistance of the conveyor belt. A refuge area/extra oxygen is a good idea as well. Up to date communications technology should be adapted to mines, to the extent it can be made to work in the environment. The regulatory tweaks would be more like mandating best safety practices across the mining industry.