On 4/7/10 06:21 , Joe from Kokomo wrote:

On 4/6/10 20:51 , bpnjensen wrote:
On Apr 6, 5:11 pm, wrote:
On 4/6/2010 6:02 PM, wrote:

Prayers for the West Virginia coal Miners.
cuhulin

And prayers will do what exactly?

I do think it's pretty terrible that in the USA, in the year 2010, it
is possible for this kind of preventable accident to happen again.
That company ought to pay a lifetime of restitution to the families
whose breadwinners they recklessly employed.

Here is what doofus-in-charge Blankenship said:

"I think every accident should be prevented, that's what the
definition of an accident is," said Blankenship. "Once we know what
happened, we'll know whether it was preventable by someone or not."

This guy is a walking oxymoron. EVERY accident is preventable unless
it is deliberate sabotage. Period. No explosions occur where the
ventilation reduces the volatile gas level to low enough amounts, and
this company did not make the appropriate effort to ensure adequate
ventilation.

Bruce Jensen

On 4/7/2010 12:33 AM, D. Peter Maus wrote:

Actually, coal dust is nearly as explosive as gas in the mines.

Yes it is -- and they were fined for that too, in addition to being
fined for not clearing the methane.

In any event and however you slice it (and as demonstrted by film clips
of the guy's own words), the guy seems to be a real slime ball.



No doubt. I was just making the point that gas isn't the only
explosive in coal mining. And that explosions occur where gas may not.

One of the advantages of strip mining is that such preventatives
are more easily managed and implemented. Although, with the
disastrous impact on the local environment that strip mining is
known for.

I spend a summer every year, and occasional weekends the rest of
the year, doing photographic work for an immense global mining
company that's cleaning up sites they've inherited through the
acquisition of other companies.These sites aren't even their work,
and are often closed for decades prior to acquisition. And yet, the
company moves in, sets up community outreach offices, and begins
soil testing and remediation operations of their own volition, at
their own cost.

I get to see some of the profound scars left behind by these
operations, not only from the mining operations, but the ore
processing and subsequent smelting, as well. One waterway, recently
cleaned up, glowed orange before they began. Another had settled
toxic metal waste across the landscape for miles around a smelter
that hadn't been used since the 30's. The cleanup is extensive,
expensive, and meticulous. All of this being done voluntarily at the
company's own expense. My purpose is to document their work. For
newsletters, annual reports, and various filings.

Working closely with the departments within the company
addressing these areas, I get to see the commitment to the cause,
and the level of responsibility taken by these operations. It's an
amazing thing to see. An exciting thing to be a part of.

It's a shame this dickface in Virginia puts such a hideous face
on an industry in which there really are responsible players.