Governor orders inspections for 200 West Virginia coal mines (within 2 weeks)

[Turborama]

Source: AP

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Joe Manchin on Wednesday ordered the immediate inspection of all underground coal mines in West Virginia after an explosion last week killed 29 miners and injured two.

Manchin also asked for the state's more than 200 underground coal mines to cease production Friday to mourn the victims of the nation's worst coal mining disaster in 40 years.

=snip=

The governor's executive order tells state regulators to start checking mines that have repeatedly had combustion risks over the last year

=snip=

Manchin wants the high-priority mines inspected within two weeks. His order said inspectors who find such risks or other health or safety violations can partially evacuate the mine or close it.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100414/ap_on_bi_ge/us_mine_explosion

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This is starting Friday and "it could be up to two weeks before investigators can venture inside Upper Big Branch", enough time for Blankenship to fix a few things and tamper with the evidence.

[Captain Hilts]

1. I'll admit to not knowing there were THAT many coal mines in WVA. nt

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

2. ''He is a member of the Democratic Party and the scion of a large Democratic political family in his

his home state.'' . I didn't know that. Weird, I'm sure a Puke would've done the same.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Manchin

[defendandprotect]

3. k-

[Turborama]

4. Rep. George Miller Names 48 Mines Avoiding Scrutiny By Contesting Safety Violations

SAM HANANEL | 04/14/10 07:43 PM |

WASHINGTON — The chairman of a congressional panel that oversees mine safety on Wednesday released a list of 48 mines that could face greater scrutiny if not for delays in assessing the safety violations filed against them.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said he wants the public to have all relevant information about potentially dangerous mines in the hope of avoiding another disaster.

The list includes the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, where 29 miners died in an explosion last week.

Twenty-one others on the list are coal mines in West Virginia. Included are four coals mines in Kentucky and one coal mine each in Illinois, Virginia, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas and Arizona. The remaining 16 mines are metal and nonmetal mines in 13 states.

Continues: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/14/george-miller-names-48-mi_n_538262.html

http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/missedPPOV.pdf">The 48 mines (PDF)

[salguine]

5. The problem isn't that the mines aren't being inspected...the problem is that

even when they are inspected and violations are found, nothing is done about it. Fines go unpaid with no consequence. How do these operations rack up literally THOUSANDS of violations PER MINE? For DECADES?

The hell with inspections. They need to start throwing some mine owners in jail (like that'll ever happen).

If it were up to me, I'd put the mine owners in a big room with all their miners and the miners' families. And then lock it from the outside.

[Omaha Steve]

6. K&R!

[Petrushka]

7. K & R

:kick:

[AwakeAtLast]

8. Giving this a KICK

:kick: