"Coal pays the bills." My paycheck is cut from the state of West Virginia, and for me and many others in the state, we all remember coal pays the bills. Every day 20 pounds of coal are burned for my use. Coal is powering the computer and the internet I am writing on and you are reading on. I might as well use some of my annual allotment of 3.65 tons to question the whole premise of government regulation as regards mine safety while the nation’s attention remains focused on a shaved off mountaintop tunneled with mines.
I live in a state where people believe God put the coal in the mountains for their survival. "He give us but one way to get it out, that’s it. God put the coal up there for us to get out to survive. So that’s the way you get it out — take the mountain off." link At what point is this fatalism part of the problem. Could you go to work every day, thinking it will could be your last? Safety experts report that "the Eagle coal seam releases up to 2 million cubic feet of methane gas into the Upper Big Branch mine every 24 hours." link This is a lot of methane to compress into a small enclosed space 1000 feet below the earth.
Coal mining is an inherently dangerous job....That is what Don Blankenship said Tuesday about mining and it is even what I wrote Tuesday morning. When I find myself saying the same thing as Don Blankenship, it is time to question whether I am buying into the same stereotype that lets people suspend their critical facilities to risk their life to make a living. Am I giving a business permission to take unnecessary risks, and allowing them cop out of an act of God? Is Blankenship merely the logical conclusion of why corporations buying political influence to shape government regulation and enforcement of the law? When families sue Blankenship and Massey Energy, will juries in West Virginia blame the dead and say this is an inherently dangerous job, so that’s what you get?
Having the national media in your state for a vigil brings out the local politicians. Our governor, Joe Manchin has a relevant backstory. His uncle was killed in one of the last great coal coal mine disasters. Manchin is a strong spokeperson for the families, waiting this morning for news while rescuers have entered the mine. Joe Manchin is there in front of coal tipple talking coal jargon- he is a smart man and is reveling in his coal geekiness. Manchin is dynamic in front of the television cameras as the technical expert and interpreter rather than some other professional safety expert, automatically politicizing the explosion. Wednesday morning, Manchin was holding up printouts of the mine at a press conference, pointing out where the miners might have taken refuge and stating that the main method of communication continues to be tapping on pipes and setting off three explosions to let folks know the air is clear. Manchin on the Today Show at 7 AM. At 6:30 AM Manchin is telling us there isn’t much hope, but this is still a rescue mission not a recovery mission.
Joe Manchin is asked the logical question, "If the coal mine were running properly, would you have this buildup of gas and dust?" Out comes the response about this being a sudden buildup causing the explosion- something of a get out of jail free card, perilously close to inherently dangerous job territory. Wake up, Governor Manchin. Ask yourself, if coal mining is so inherently dangerous, can it ever be made safe through sensors and high technology? But if mine operators ignore what the methane and dust sensors are telling them, is it an act of God or an act of man.
Can safety come ever come first in a profitable mine, when safety calls for miners to stop and address problems rather than keeping on pulling out tons of coal an hour. 1.2 million tons of coal last year from this mine alone- that is 2.4 billion pounds.
Don Blankenship on local television was commenting about how the miners get used to the risks and break rules. But the violations, when reported at Upper Big Branch and other Massey mines, are contested and appealed, so Blankenship isn’t acknowledging any responsibility for safety violations until forced to do so, after appeals. When safety violations occur and mines close, Blankenship DOES lose money and the mine ISN’T as profitable. These miners aren’t stupid- if the mine isn’t profitable, the mine closes. Massey isn’t union, but it pays better than other mines (although with less benefits).
When your state has 11% unemployment, this is a pocketbook issue- less profitable mines have closed down around the state. If you complain about the problems, will you lose your job- directly singled out- maybe not. But will the mine close down? The accident has disrupted this mine and now will doubtless result in increased government regulation, and as Blankenship said Wednesday, "Nobody wants that." Anti-government Regulation Television Network, Fox News is the preferred perspective, but now those darned other networks are interviewing the backs of miners, talking about those regulations being written in the blood of miners.
Are the violations of methane, excessive dust and poor ventilation in the Upper Big Branch Mine causing explosions or is it an act of God. Here is what Don Blankenship says, wearing an American flag shirt, last Fourth of July: "The very idea that they care more about mining safety than we do is as silly as global warming." They meaning the government? They meaning Democrats? They meaning Joe Manchin? They meaning you and me?
Blankenship looks tired and flat. He is trailed by media who keep finding human interest stories as they drive over from their hotels in Charleston. Blankenship keeps answering questions relatively honestly, because he is talking to people in this state, not to people in this nation. Blankenship is justifies the business of coal mining as a true Republican- if you regulate us, we can’t make enough money and we have to shut down and then everyone loses. It is an inherently dangerous job. Coal pays the bills. God gave us the coal and we need to take the mountain off to get it.
Denise Giardina is an unusual woman- she writes historical fiction about coal mining, ran for governor of West Virginia as an independent candidate with the mountain party, and grew up in a West Virginia coal camp, the child of miners. She writes:
we are a national sacrifice area. We mine coal despite the danger to miners, the damage to the environment and the monomaniacal control of an industry that keeps economic diversity from flourishing here. We do it because America says it needs the coal we provide.
West Virginians get little thanks in return. Our miners have historically received little protection, and our politicians remain subservient to Big Coal. Meanwhile, West Virginia is either ignored by the rest of the nation or is the butt of jokes about ignorant hillbillies.
As we wait on day four, the grim reality is that the miners are probably dead. The sliver of hope will end in the next few hours and the reporters will go home. If the miners made it to the rescue chambers, there would be plenty of supplies. Some self rescuers were missing from the place the dead were found. My prayers and those of the nation are there for the rescuers and for all miners and their families as we wait. But we need to ask if we can afford the true price of coal.