Why is Massey Energy Still Allowed to Run Coal Mines?

You would think that causing the death of 29 of your employees would make you take safety a bit more seriously.

Feds: Inspectors Cite Dozens of Mines in
September
Feds find hundreds of mine safety violations in W.Va., Ky., other
states during September


Federal inspectors issued nearly 600 citations
for safety violations found at 30 problem mining operations across the country
in September, the Mine Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday.

"We are beginning to see signs of improvement at some mines, an
indication that these impact inspections are making a difference," MSHA director
Joe Main said. "Some continue to violate standards and place miners at risk."

Among those are Massey, Main said.

A Sept. 28 inspection
uncovered serious safety violations at Richmond, Va.-based Massey's Seng Creek
Powellton Mine, about 40 miles south of Charleston. Among other things, a
foreman acknowledged skipping mandatory tests for explosive gases.

"With over 7,000 trained members, some still make errors in judgment,"
Massey spokesman Jeff Gillenwater said.

Errors in Judgement? You know what an error in judgement is? Me deciding to eat ice cream last night. That was an error in judgement. Deciding to put lives at risk by intentionally violating the law? That's not an error in judgement. I don't know what to call it, but it's a little more than an error in judgement. By your standard, John Dillinger made a lot of errors in judgement every time he entered a bank.

You know, when you say shit like that, you make it pretty obvious that you're just not taking this seriously.

Although maybe you don't have to. Maybe you're just stalling for time until Rand Paul and the rest of the loonie libertarian anti-government teabagger brigade comes to Washington and makes it completely legal to kill your employees in the name of increased profits.

And the righties will still complain that there's too much regulation.