Editorial - Another Mining Tragedy - NYTimes.com

Editorial - Another Mining Tragedy - NYTimes.com




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April 7, 2010
Editorial
Another Mining Tragedy
Representative Nick Rahall II, a Democrat from the district in West Virginia where disaster struck deep in the Upper Big Branch mine, summed up the mixture of sorrow and suspicion that followed the worst American mining catastrophe in a quarter-century.

“This is the second major disaster at a Massey site in recent years, and something needs to be done,” Mr. Rahall said on Monday. The rescue efforts and the state and federal inquiries that are sure to follow will tell more about how at least 25 coal miners died, and why. But anger is building against the mine’s owner, the Massey Energy Company, which has long been accused by its critics of putting profits before the welfare of its workers.

In January 2006, a conveyor belt caught fire at another Massey mine, claiming two lives. That accident, plus a devastating explosion the same month killing 12 workers at the Sago mine, owned by another company, led to an overhaul of federal mine safety rules.

The new regulations tightened procedures for monitoring air quality to detect dangerous methane buildups, and increased the penalties for noncompliance. Deaths in mining accidents — 35 in 2009 — dropped to their lowest in a century. But regulations only go so far.

Massey insists its safety record is better than the industry average, but it has repeatedly been cited for violations. The Upper Big Branch mine, judging by federal records, appears to have been a case study in sloppiness. It was cited for 458 violations in 2009, many involving poor ventilation of dust and methane, failure to maintain proper escape routes and the accumulation of combustible materials.

Massey’s chief executive, Don Blankenship, has long invited criticism. He spent an extraordinary $3 million to engineer the election of a state judge, who then voted to throw out a major damage award against the company. He also is the author of an internal memo instructing mine superintendents to put coal production ahead of all other considerations.

Much remains to be done to improve mine safety. A federal audit has exposed serious weaknesses in the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s training program for safety inspectors. But as a first step, Congress needs to bring Mr. Blankenship — and other industry executives — to Washington to question them about their dismal performance. And they need to demand better performance by mine regulators.



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