space shuttle, space: 2006_04_01_spewingforth

PERMALINK Posted 4:29 PM by Jordan

Mine Safety: All Talk, Little Action

Despite all the concern following the Sago mine disaster about the

nation's inability to enforce mine safety rules, and promises to pass

new mine safety legislation, not much is being done, according to The

New Standard reporter Brendan Coyne. MSHA had promised to revamp its

penalty structure,

MSHA spokesperson Dirk Fillpot told The NewStandard that the agency

cannot predict when it will unveil proposed rules to revamp its

penalty system. And with the maximum fine amount capped at $60,000

per violation under federal law, Fillpot said the agency has little

recourse until Congress passes a bill raising that ceiling.

Even if the agency were able to issue larger fines, it may opt not

to use that power. As TNS reported shortly after the Sago disaster,

in 2005 MSHA issued 208 fines at the mine, with most for less than

$100. In 2004, just 59 of the 64,635 citations levied at the

nation's mines were for $10,000 or more, what MSHA terms

"high-dollar."

And an MSHA employee confirms that not much is happening at the

agency.

"I'm working on the committee [working up new penalty rules] and

it's been stalled," the source said, adding: "We didn't really have

a real goal from the start. It was a situation where we were told,

`Quick! Do something,' but never told what that `something' was

really supposed to be."

According to the committee member, MSHA would be close to a new

rule by now if [Acting Assistant Secretary David] Dye and other

appointees had the will. "We're not doing anything new," the MSHA

worker said. "There's an existing rule and we're just tweaking it.

It's not like this should be some big, long process."

Meanwhile, progress on the federal level doesn't look much better.

With MSHA regulatory changes apparently at a stand-still,

congressional attempts to impose new worker protections and more

stringent penalties and enforcement are stalled in committee with

no hearings scheduled.

Senators of both major parties from several states have stepped

forward to sponsor the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 2006,

a multi-part measure that covers equipment, enforcement and

penalties.

Along with Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy (D), the entire

West Virginia congressional delegation introduced a version of the

act on February 1. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) followed

suit two weeks later with a nearly identical bill that the original

sponsors signed on to.

The measures carry a slew of specific requirements governing safety

regulations, compliance and penalties, including a mandate to

increase the maximum single violation penalty to $500,000. By

contrast, the MSHA-suggested legislation does not address equipment

and safety issues, nor does it propose a specific dollar amount for

the cap, according to a copy of the language provided to TNS by

Fillpot, the agency spokesperson.

Maybe a few more miners need to die before people get off of their fat

bureaucratic behinds.

space shuttle, space

Sunday, 17 February 2008

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