Government mine inspectors have issued 325 citations against the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah since January 2004, according to an analysis of federal Mine Safety and Health Administration online records. Of those, 116 were what the government considered “significant and substantial,” meaning they are likely to cause injury. Overall, the federal government has ordered the mine owner to pay nearly $152,000 in penalties for its 325 violations with many citations having no fines calculated yet. Since January, the mine owner has paid $130,678 in fines, according to MSHA records.
In 2007, inspectors have issued 32 citations against the mine, 14 of them considered significant.
Last month, inspectors cited the mine for violating a rule requiring that at least two separate passageways be designated for escape in an emergency. It was the third time in less than two years that the mine had been cited for the same problem, according to MSHA records. In 2005, MSHA ordered the mine owners to pay $963 for not having escapeways and the 2006 fine for the same problem was just $60.
How does a mine get this many violations and still get to stay open? A search at Opensecrets.org provides a good guess.
That's over $100,000 in political donations since 2000 - almost all exclusively to federal Republican candidates from GWB on down.
2 voices in my head:
Robert E. Murray has had senior inspectors transferred and fired for doing any type of meaningful enforcement at his mines. Under a law passed by Congress, if MSHA finds a coal mine has only one workable escapeway, the inspector has no choice but to evacuate the mine and shut it down until the problem is fixed. The link to the Open Secrets website is part of the answer. Since Senator McConnell (KY) is on Murray's payroll, and since McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, is the presidentially appointed Secretary of Labor who oversees the Mine Safety and Health Administration, Murray need not worry about the law. That's why he is illegally running the resuce operation and the outgoing communications. Again, Congress passed laws that require, without exception, that MSHA run things. But as we can see, Murray is in charge and is given full access to all government records. The MSHA people on site have to take orders from Murray and his people. Murray controls all the outgoing communications, and continually gives out false information.
Here are some dots that just might connect.
1. Bob Murray has a long rap sheet of flamboyantly peddling his influence with the good senator McConnell.
2. Richard Stickler holds a position with the government that requires senate confirmation, but the senate kicked his name back twice, so the president waited until the senate went on a break and gave him a recess appointment. Sooner or later he will have to face a hostile senate for a vote.
3. Contrary to all kinds of federal laws, Stickler is allowing Murray to run the whole clam bake, and Murray gets access to places and information that are off limits to mine operators. Stickler allows Murray to use the government soap box to disseminate all kinds of false statements, and basically everyone at MSHA gives Murray exactly what he wants.
4. I can connect those dots.
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