Utah Mine Owner Used Repub Political Clout To Get Rid Of MHSA
by DJShay
Wed Aug 15, 2007 at 06:42:36 AM PDT
It's been more than a week since the cave in at the Utah mine and still no sign of the 6 workers that are trapped. While the story in the MSM continues to be the slim hope of rescuing the workers, new stories are coming to light concerning how the
mine owner Bob Murray used his political connections to threaten Mine Safety and Health Adminitration with their jobs for reporting safety violations.This is from a report filed by a reporter for West Virginia Public Radio
Greg Collard: In 2001, a belt foreman named Tom Ciszewski had his arm ripped off by a conveyor belt at Ohio Valley Coal’s Powhatan No. 6 mine in Belmont County, Ohio. He bled to death.
Later, a belt repairman testified that Robert Murray pressured miners not to shut down the belt, "unless there’s a man it," and that he would fire them on the spot.
A judge ruled the company was not negligent.
But problems at the mine continued.
Eventually, MSHA ordered the mine to shut down after repeated violations.
Murray had enough.
He was upset at MSHA’s action, and met with Tim Thompson, then the head of MSHA’s District 3 office that covers a portion of Ohio and northern West Virginia.
Back in 2003, Jeff Young of West Virginia Public Broadcasting obtained the notes from the meeting:
Jeff Young 2003 report: Those notes show
Murray repeatedly threatening to have MSHA employees fired. ‘I will have your jobs. They are gone. The clock is ticking," Murray said at various points.
And he stressed his political influence with the agency, saying, "I talked to Laresky (former MSHA director) personally," and again, quoting, "Mitch McConnell calls me one of the five finest men in America, and last I checked he was sleeping with your boss.’ Sen. McConnell of KY is married to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, who oversees MSHA.
http://www.wvpubcast.org/radio/newsroom/Murray0808.pdfMurray has also donated thousands of dollars to the Republican Party. And Mitch McConnel has received $176,800 from mining interests since since 2001
Murray has personally donated $115,050 to Republican political candidates over the past three election cycles. He has given another $724,500 to the GOP over the past ten years through political action committees connected to his businesses.
more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/15/93935/8068UPDATEAgain from the Salt Lake Tribune
Memo shows mine already had roof problems in MarchThe memo indicates that mine operators knew the tremendous pressures of a mountain bearing down on the mine were creating problems with the roof, and they were searching for a way to safely keep the mine from falling in as they cut away the coal pillars supporting the structure.
"It's dangerous. Damn dangerous I would say," Robert Ferriter, now director of the mine safety program at the Colorado School of Mines and a 27-year veteran of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. "What is MSHA doing in all this? They're the ones who are supposed to catch this sort of thing."
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6605040
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