The Coal Mine Disaster Shows Economics Still Trumps Safety

The Coal Mine Disaster Shows Economics Still Trumps Safety

By BRUCE KENNEDY
Posted 7:00 AM 04/07/10 Energy, Company News
This week's coal mine disaster in West Virginia brings with it grim but familiar images and headlines, a new chapter in American coal mining's sometimes tragic legacy.

The accident also reminds us that, despite federal and private-sector plans for adding alternative energy sources to the national grid, the nation's dependence on coal isn't going away. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), coal-fired power plants were responsible for nearly 45% of U.S. electrical power last year.

Until this week, many analysts had hoped the U.S. coal-mining industry -- while still dangerous -- had become safer. Overall, U.S. mining injuries and fatalities have been declining since 2001.

History of Safety Violations

And with the introduction of the the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006, the first federal law of its kind in nearly 30 years, "we thought that we had done better," says Professor K.K. DuVivier, who teaches mining and energy at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.

DuVivier notes that the site of the accident, Massey Energy's (MEE) Upper Big Branch mine, has had a history of safety violations. "There's always the issue of enforcement," she says. "The question is, is our regulation good enough? And maybe it would be good enough if we enforced it."

See full article from DailyFinance: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/underground-coal-mining-safety-vs-economics/19429036/