Another Shocker From The President

The country was riveted to their television screens multiple times in 2006 and 2007 when the media descended upon mines across the country like Sago and Crandall Canyon to see if rescuers could save several miners trapped in what was claimed to be an earthquake (though that is under dispute). When hope ran out people demanded action, they wanted the President to come to the mining community's aid and make sure that the tragedy we saw wouldn't happen again. Remember that? Well guess what's happened since?

From the AFL-CIO:

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao missed the Dec. 15 deadline to issue new federal rules for better trained mine rescue teams at the nation’s coal mines. The Charleston Gazette reports:

The rules are still not finalized and are sitting at the White House, under review by the Office of Management and Budget.

In 2006, spurred by what would become the highest coal mine death toll since 1996—including the deaths of 19 coal miners at the Sago, Aracoma and Darby mines in West Virginia and Kentucky—Congress passed and President Bush signed the MINER Act that mandated several mine safety improvements, including rescue teams.

The June 2006 mine law gave the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) 18 months to finalize the new rescue rules. It took the safety agency 15 months to write the proposed rules and now the Bush administration says it can’t provide a timeline for issuing them.

Are you surprised nothing got done? You better not be when it comes to George Bush protecting his friends in the mining industry. Speaking of those friends who make their money off of the blood of dead miners....

Meanwhile, Bush once again circumvented Congress and reinstated MSHA administrator Richard Stickler to head the agency. Stickler, a former coal company executive, twice failed to win Senate confirmation, but in late 2006, with Congress out of session, Bush used a recess appointment to install Stickler in the post, officially known as the assistant labor secretary for mine safety and health.

The recess appointment expired at the end of 2007. In a somewhat bizarre chain of events, MSHA removed Stickler’s bio from the agency’s website and announced Jan. 3 that Stickler’s assistant was the acting assistant secretary. But his tenure was brief: On Jan. 4, Bush named Stickler the new acting assistant secretary, a move that does not require congressional approval and is likely to last until the end of Bush’s term. After press reports that Stickler’s bio had been removed, it’s now back online.

Yep, that's right, George Bush does not care about those dead miners, their families or the thousands more that are still in the mines day in, day out. As long as people like Richard Stickler can make a profit, no one in George's Administration really gives a damn.

Tragedy In the Mines Needs To Spark Action In D.C.

The stories that come out of Utah are absolutely heartbreaking. The six miners that were lost in Crandall Canyon has been devastating to their families, the state of Utah and the entire nation. The three rescue workers killed last week added to the misery. With all the tragedy, you would think that everyone would be on board to help solve the problems that contribute to the deaths of multiple miners every year. Yet, that just isn't the case.

The owner of Crandall Canyon is a wealthy financial supporter of the Bush Administration and the man that runs the U.S. Mine Safety office has been a mine owner himself. The revolving door policy in Washington applies here too, and it has done nothing to help those that risk their lives mining our natural resources. It would be great to see action from the White House, let alone in the halls of Congress, but there are only a few that speak out, like AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney.

From The Huffington Post:

The disaster still unfolding at the Crandall Canyon mine did not have to happen. It was preventable--as were the deaths of 12 coal miners last year in the Sago Mine in West Virginia. As have been many, many more deaths of workers in America's coal mines and factories, fishing vessels, offices and construction sites.

Safety concerns about the Crandall Canyon mine surfaced months ago, and safety experts warned of particular dangers in the "retreat mining" technique used there after it was approved by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. In retreat mining, coalminers essentially pull out roof-supporting pillars of coal as they work their way out of the mine. The retreat mining plan at Crandall Canyon, says United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, "appears to have been flawed, to say the least. In our opinion, that plan should never have been approved."

No one should be surprised it was approved, though. The Bush administration has been systematically dismantling and cutting funding for workplace safety rules and oversight since it came into office.

Every day in 2005 (the most recent data available), 16 workers died on the job and 12,000 were made sick--and that doesn't include the occupational diseases that kill 50,000 to 60,000 more workers each year. In many if not most of these cases, one of two things occurred: An employer disregarded the law, or the law wasn't strong enough to protect workers.

Making a mockery of mining laws is standard operating procedure in the business. No one seems to care enough to do anything about it in Washington, so the disregard for safety continues.

Sure, it isn't as bad as the conditions in, say China, but this is America and we need to be an example for the world, not the other way around. When the tragedy began unfolding, mine owner representatives walked out of a Congressional Committee hearing, even though members of Congress wanted them to stay. This isn't just contempt for Congress, it is a slap in the face to America.