Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Ken Ward: Why We Should be Talking about the Transition to Post-Coal in the USA

Since many politicians, Democrat and Republican, are funded by the coal industry, very few of them have the courage to talk about what the region needs - an economic transition away from coal in the coal regions.  Ken Ward spells it out.

From Ken Ward "What Natalie Tennant could have said about coal:"
"Last September, when I heard Secretary of State Natalie Tennant speak during the  “A Bright Economic Future for West Virginia,” event here in Charleston, there was a glimmer of hope that she might follow a slightly different path than most of our state’s political leaders. As I reported at the time, while generally sticking to the fossil fuel bandwagon, Secretary Tennant did throw in a line about the continuing questions over whether most of the jobs from the natural gas boom are going to West Virginia residents:
… Tennant also spoke strongly in favor of the state trying to continue the boom in Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and production, but said more needs to be done to ensure the jobs that are created go to West Virginians.So it was pretty disappointing to hear her silly responses to questions from the Daily Mail editorial board about coal issues and the Obama administration."
Read the entire article.






Tuesday, October 7, 2014

CRIMINAL COAL: More on negligent homicide, industrial homicide: MSHA cites Patriot subsidiary in Brody mine deaths

File under: climate criminality, or just criminality.

From Ken Ward at West Virginia Gazette (my summary):

Subsidiary of Patriot Coal (St Louis), itself a spawn of Peabody Coal, cited for negligence and alleged destruction of evidence relating to accidents, one of which caused the deaths of two coal miners in West Virginia.

The Charleston Gazette | MSHA cites Patriot subsidiary in Brody mine deaths

Read full report here. Chronicle of two deaths foretold?  Miners' knowledge of safety conditions apparently over-ridden by management.  Chilling to read the full report.  Salute to these men, sacrificed by an industry that values profit over labor and nature: