Letter to Editor by Becca Barhorst
I write this opinion not as an environmental activist, a renewable energy advocate or a progressive.
I write this as a humanist, as we should all be, with a genuine concern for the dangers in which we entrench our people.
The West Virginia mine blast has disturbed me since its headlines broke the front page.
The devastation that West Virginia has experienced is shocking enough for President Obama to says, “…it’s clear that more needs to be done about mine safety.”
The mine blast is something that could have been avoided.
The fact we lost 29 Americans that day due to the laziness of Massey Energy to fix a “pattern of violations” running back to two years is appalling.
After being warned several times for high levels of methane, accumulation of flammable coal dust, and poor ventilation, Massey Energy Company failed to correct the problems.
Unfortunately, we see similar apathy toward mine workers here in Kentucky as well in the last generation, 60 percent of mining jobs have been lost due to the replacement of the miner with large machinery.
An industry that once employed much of Eastern Kentucky citizens, now only employs 1 percent of our state’s workforce, and that number is dwindling.
It is apparent the mining industry holds no value in the risks our miners take every day to make a buck for the coal company.
These risks include unbearable conditions, as seen in West Virginia.
Rescue workers at that Upper Big Branch mine had to cease efforts after it was detected that there were “explosively high levels of methane and carbon monoxide.”
This type of environment is what our workers walk into nearly every day, especially when companies like Massey Energy fail to regulate safe air quality.
It is atrocious to me that we allow for avoidable disasters like the West Virginia mine blast to happen.
In the words of John Muir, “when the canary stops singing, only a fool stays in the mines.”
It seems that we’ve been using our citizens as canaries for far too long.
Becca Barhorst
political science freshman
Dear Sir,
Those who oppose Wind Turbines just for the sake of good view must wake up and see a coal mine from which their energy comes.
Just because coal mines are hidden from view and the people working there are unknown blue collar workers, people don’t care about them till they make headlines due to a disaster.
This all from the woman who gets all her power from coal.
What happened at UBB was a horrendous thing. After the investigation is over I feel most of the blame will be on Massey while I see some of it being on MSHA. Some of the violations Massey had received show a high degree of negligence and as a degree holding and practicing mining engineer from THE University of Kentucky I find these actions appalling. I also understand 100% what happens in an underground coal mine because of first hand experience. I do not write articles bashing an industry where my only knowledge comes from CNN or yahoo.com. I am in no way supporting Massey’s actions but when an article leads people to believe all coal mining operate this way I find that insulting personally.
I love how everyone who writes anti-coal articles jumps at the point that the mining industry today employs less people than in generations past because of replacing the miner with large machinery. This is actually a good thing. Today in underground mines workers no longer dig coal and install roof support by hand large machines do this. The machines boost productivity and decrease the number of workers but it is also exponentially safer and easier on the miners’ body physically. Using this as an argument would be the same as saying in the 1930′s more people worked in the auto industry than today we need to change the auto industry’s way of operating. In the 1930′s someone tightened every bolt and nut where today machines do it. Which is better on the workers and the consumers?