I woke up this morning and read with great sadness that rescue workers found the bodies of the last four missing miners at Upper Big Branch mine, crushing hopes that they might still be alive. West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III, speaking shortly after the discovery, said that "the journey has ended."
If we are to learn the right lesson from this tragedy, however, then while one journey has ended, another – ours – has just begun. It is now our duty to rally around the deceased miners’ loved ones and support their devastated Appalachian communities in the long-term. It is now our task to hold responsible parties accountable and take bold and firm steps to keep such a needless disaster from happening again.
Because this disaster did not have to happen. It was not an "act of God" - as coal executives have in the past referred to accidents as - but a willful "act of man." It was foreshadowed by over 500 citations by safety regulators in 2009 and 53 violations in March of 2010 alone, significant numbers of which were "cardinal sins" in mine safety that had to do with methane detection and ventilation.
Simply put, this was an illegally-run mine. And it was run in the name of maximizing profits over human well-being. It operators were gambling with lives and must have known it would only be a matter of time before something went terribly wrong.
This tragedy illustrates the great challenge that the coal industry presents to our communities and the common good. We as a nation are currently dependent on coal for about half the electricity we consume. Many impoverished Appalachian communities depend on mining for their very survival, and are at the mercy of mine operators like Massey. As a result, the coal industry has become an extremely powerful and profitable special interest in our government and society.
It opposes all regulation of its toxic coal waste, something that my competitor in the 6th district has backed the industry on (see a previous post on this). It habitually challenges safety violations instead of fixing them, using a combination of charity projects and intimidation tactics to keep local communities and leaders in check. And it spends great sums of money buying out political campaigns (Massey CEO Blankenship’s infamous dealings are a good example).
I was glad to see Massey CEO Blankenship present in person at the mine, waiting for news updates with the families (even if he needed a contingent of state troopers guarding him). I only wish he had stood with those miners and families when it really counted: when he was asked to make the legally-required safety improvements that would have saved their lives.
He along with other Massey executives must own up to this mistake and pay the price. Or else we must hold them accountable. It is shameful for Blankenship to defend himself by saying that Massey’s safety record is no worse than many other mining operations; it’s like a husband telling his wife that he hasn’t had any more marital affairs than many of this friends. As if such an immature excuse ever makes bad behavior acceptable.
The time has come for us to put big coal back in its proper place and help restore a moral compass to how our energy industry and elected officials work together.
As a community organizer and environmental advocate, I have worked closely with colleagues in Appalachia to shed light on the growing practice of Mountain Top Removal coal mining. I have visited communities there and witnessed the rampant destruction in person, and now take their story across the nation to the campuses and churches that I speak in.
As an energy consumer I continue to pursue practical lifestyle choices that reduce my dependence on coal-generated electricity, such as hang-drying laundry, switching my light bulbs to energy efficient models, turning off lights and other appliances when not in use, and more.
As the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in IL-6, I will continue speaking out on behalf of those who are disproportionately impacted by coal – including lower-income and minority communities where most of our polluting coal-fired power plants are based – and will advocate for a responsible transition to clean renewable energy sources that will set up our communities for a healthier and more competitive future.
We have just witnessed a national tragedy in Montcoal, West Virginia. It will become an even greater tragedy if we do not learn the right lessons and take the right steps to keep this from ever happening again.