West Virginia Coal Mining Halted at Governor’s Request

At the best of times, being a coal miner in West Virginia is one of life’s more difficult assignments. Lately, it has been lethal for an unlucky handful. Under the theory that once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three or more times is something much worse, the Governor of West Virginia asked that all coal mining in his state cease for safety inspections after three accidents in a single day killed two miners and left many more hurt. In a move that is equally shrewd and humane, a group of producers, the West Virginia Coal Association, have backed the governor.

Wednesday’s accidents came after 12 men died on January 2 at International Coal Group's Sago mine in Tallmansville and after two miners were found dead after a fire at the Massey Energy-owned Aracoma mine in Melville on January 21. Meanwhile on January 30, 72 potash miners in Canada walked out of a mine that had caught fire after taking refuge in airtight chambers filled with food and water. American mines don’t have these.

Governor Joe Manchin, who happens to be a Democrat, said, “As a result of these three incidents, all of which occurred within just the last few hours, I am calling on the industry to cease production activities immediately and go into a mine safety stand-down.” First reports said this was mandatory, but it transpires his “order” was really a “request.” Nonetheless, it is leadership.

Full marks to the wisemen at the WVCA, led by the association’s president, William B. Raney, who stood beside the governor to say that a safe mine was a productive mine. Rarely do businessmen get the credit for understanding their long-term interests often trump short-term convenience. Regardless of the industry’s past record, right now, the WVCA is on the right side of the equation.

However, the problem is bigger than West Virginia, which is the second biggest coal producing state after Wyoming. It is a national problem. Davitt McAteer, head of the US Mine Safety and Health Administration under former President Bill Clinton, is heading an inquiry into the Sago mine explosion. He told the Associated Press that America doesn’t have the safety chambers the Canadian potash mine had because back in the 1970s the US government determined there was no substance strong enough to hold up to a secondary explosion. There are 72 Canadians who could correct that if anyone on Capitol Hill is listening.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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