Drudge is reporting that the Governor of West Virginia is shutting down all coal mines pending a State-wide safety investigation.
Here is the text of Drudge's report:
West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin has ordered all mines to cease production until safety checks can be conducted following the deaths of two workers in separate accidents Wednesday.
'We're going to check for unsafe conditions, and we're going to correct any unsafe conditions before we mine another lump of coal...'
This is excellent news because it indicates that Gov. Manchin takes the poor saftey record in W. Virginia mines seriously.
It is interesting to contrast the problems there with last weekend's successful rescue of 72 miners from a Saskatchewan potash mine. It is true that potash mines are completely different from coal mines. Yet the big difference is the safety. In the Saskatchewan incident, everything showed that safety was THE priority, and it showed in the results.
As the Renaissance Man has said before, it is key to get the United Mine Workers involved in the West Virginia coal mines. Those guys know safety, and they have been saving miner's lives for over a century.
Manchin's decision today is a great first step.
0 comments:
Post a Comment