NYT: Kentucky Mine Where 5 Died Had History of Violations

[DeepModem Mom]

Mine Where 5 Died Had History of Violations
By IAN URBINA
Published: May 23, 2006

The Kentucky mine where five men were killed in an explosion on Saturday had been cited at least 41 times in the last five years for failing to clean up coal dust properly, which can lead to explosions, according to federal records.

State officials and mining experts said the reach of the blast, which was felt more than 5,000 feet from its estimated point of origin, seemed to indicate that coal dust was a major factor.

Methane, which is released naturally from coal as it is extracted, is highly flammable and is usually the cause of mining explosions. But such blasts rarely travel so far without dangerous levels of coal dust in the air, said Tony Oppegard, a former top official with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration and a former prosecutor of mine-safety violations in Kentucky....

***

Mine operators are supposed to use crushed limestone, known as rock dust, to limit coal dust levels.

Federal regulators had cited Kentucky Darby LLC, the operator of the mine, three times this month, and at least 38 other times since 2001, for not cleaning up coal dust and other combustible materials, according to federal records. While federal investigators continued to study the cause of the explosion at the mine, relatives of the miners voiced frustration over a report that the miners' air packs had not worked....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/us/23mine.html

[barb162]

1. Bush has downsized and emasculated all federal agencies

dealing with enforcement of safety

[burrowowl]

2. Reduction in mine inspections

and non-enforcement started big time under RayGun.

[acmavm]

3. The bush** administration is responsible for the deaths of people in

all walks of life. Katriina victims, miners, people without health care, innocent Iraqis, that is just the start of a long list of people that this man's administration has murdered. I say murder because the bush** administration has the necessary requirements, mens rea and actus rea. They know what they're doing, and the mean it to happen.

[salin]

4. Regulation and enforcement of safety regulations virtually ceased to exist

when bush/cheneyco came riding to town.

[leftchick]

5. what a shocker

NOT! :grr:

[Tesha]

6. This should just be a standing story; make it easy for the stenographers.

Today, (fill_in_date), in (city), (state), a coal-mine explosion
( )killed/( )trapped (number) of miners underground. The mine
owners denied all responsibility although they had been cited
in the past for safety violations.

...

[Bake]

7. Don't they ALL?

History of violations, that is.

Bake

[struggle4progress]

8. kick

:kick: