Obama Assigns Responsibility for Mining Blast, Outlines Strategy for Reform

[babylonsister]

Obama Assigns Responsibility for Mining Blast, Outlines Strategy for Reform
President Blames Failure of Management, Oversight and Laws
By Mike Lillis 4/15/10 1:06 PM

President Obama

President Obama delivers remarks on coal mine safety in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday. (EPA/ZUMApress.com)


“We owe them more than prayers. We owe them action.”

Those were the words of President Obama, who spoke from the White House Rose Garden this morning on steps he plans to take in the wake of last week’s explosion that took the lives of 29 West Virginia coal miners. And he didn’t mince words when it came to assigning fault for the calamity.

“There’s still a lot that we don’t know,” he said. “But we do know that this tragedy was triggered by a failure at the Upper Big Branch mine — a failure first and foremost of management, but also a failure of oversight and a failure of laws so riddled with loopholes that they allow unsafe conditions to continue.”

snip//

“When somebody says, ‘Did the violations have anything to do with the accident?’ — they should not,” Blankenship told Charleston’s Daily Mail. “Because every violation is abated and agreed to by everyone before there is any further mining. So you would not think that any violation of the past had any relevance.”

Obama, though, isn’t buying it. And today, he outlined a new strategy forward — one that targets all mines, not just those run by Massey.

1) Immediate inspections of all mines. “Starting today, we’ll go back and take another look at mines across this country with troubling safety records, and get inspectors into those mines immediately to ensure they aren’t facing the same unsafe working conditions that led to this disaster.”

2) Closing the loopholes that keep unsafe mines open. “I’ve directed to work with Congress to strengthen enforcement of existing laws and close loopholes that permit companies to shirk their responsibilities.” That means tackling the backlog of violation appeals that companies have made to delay fines and avoid mine closures.

3) Overhauling the Mining Safety and Health Administration. “For a long time, the mine safety agency was stacked with former mine executives and industry players. … We need to take a hard look at our own practices and our own procedures to ensure that we’re pursuing mine safety as relentlessly as we responsibly can. In addition, we need to make sure that miners themselves, and not just the government or mine operators, are empowered to report any safety violations.”

The steps were immediately applauded by the United Mine Workers of America, which issued a statement saying that Obama “hit the nail on the head.”

more...

http://washingtonindependent.com/82377/obama-assigns-responsibility-for-mining-blast-outlines-strategy-for-reform

[LakeSamish706]

1. Good for President Obama, he certainly seems to be moving in the right

direction on this. Lets hope that nothing will stand in the way of bringing Blankenship up on charges if deemed necessary.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. We are WAY overdue for this reform.

The ghosts of dead miners rise up in horror at the continuing deaths.....the continuing unnecessary deaths.

All in the name of unmitigated greed.

Go get 'em, Obama!

[QC]

3. Good for him! Rec. n/t

[Captain Hilts]

4. Taking control of this issue is VERY good. Well done Mr. P! nt

[Nothing Without Hope]

5. Failure also with a corrupt judicial system in this case

Judges were in the bag. Earlier posts made that clear. No enforcement of rules without an honest judicial/legal system.

[Cha]

6. "We owe them Action"! Well,

said, Pres Obama.

[Kdillard]

7. k and rec. Well done and said by the President.

[glitch]

8. Excellent. nt

[JNelson6563]

9. No different than Bush!!

Oh, wait....

[ClarkUSA]

10. UMWA President: Obama's "commitment to miners' safety is unmatched by any previous president."

"His commitment to miners’ health and safety is, in my experience, unmatched by any previous president,” said UMWA President Cecil Roberts."

http://washingtonindependent.com/82377/obama-assigns-responsibility-for-mining-blast-outlines-strategy-for-reform

Where oh where are all the Obama critics who decry President Obama as a "corporate tool" now? Hmm??