The company responsible for the worst environmental disaster in

[alfredo]

the south is getting a gift from the bush administration.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/7767603.htm

Fine for sludge spill is reduced by 90%

LEAK STARTED IN MARTIN COUNTY
STAFF, WIRE REPORT


INEZ - An administrative judge in Washington, D.C., has greatly reduced a federal fine for a mining company responsible for what federal regulators in 2000 called the South's worst environmental disaster.


What began as a $110,000 fine against Martin County Coal Corp., which leaked 306 million gallons of coal sludge into Eastern Kentucky streams, apparently will wind up costing the company only $5,500.

[DiverDave]

1. It's just simple math

They give a 50K "donation" and shazam...
How are we going to put all these crooks in jail?
I guess we could build more...

[alfredo]

2. the best government money can buy.

The coal companies are under the protection of Sen Mitch McConnell.

[ConsAreLiars]

3. Homicide penalized at $83,333 per capita

In the year 2000:
From http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/06/02/pipeline.safety.fine/
---------
The U.S. Department of Transportation wants to impose a $3.05 million fine on the owner of the gasoline and fuel oil pipeline that exploded in Bellingham, Washington, last June, killing three people.

The civil penalty is the largest ever sought against a pipeline operator.
---------

Under the Cons:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/157657_pipeline22.html
---------
Shell Oil Co. has agreed to pay $250,000 of a $3.05 million fine proposed by the federal Office of Pipeline Safety after a 1999 blast killed three people in Bellingham.

The remaining $2.8 million will be negotiated with Olympic Pipe Line Co., safety office spokesman Damon Hill said.
...
Negotiations with Olympic are complicated, Hill said, because Olympic has filed for bankruptcy protection.
---------

Some decent investigative journalism about factors affecting pipeline safety:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pipelines/

(edit: re-add accidentally deleted stuff)

[maggrwaggr]

4. OMG. That's ..... just ...... well it makes me want to puke

if that isn't evidence of corruption I don't know what is.

Were they at least forced to clean up the mess they created?

[alfredo]

6. Yes, they had to clean it up. We had a Democratic governor at the

time. Now that there is a Repug in charge, look for more slap on the wrist punishments for polluting.

[Serenity-NOW]

5. 55636 gallons for a buck. dammmmnnnn

Wonder what my fine would be for dumping a gallon of motor oil?