Coal exec jailed after accident killed 29 miners is out and tweeting that it’s not his fault

[FriendlyFire]

Clearly too many Coal safety Regulations and the fault of MSHA
Dont worry Trump is on the Job

This is probably the best argument for regulations, also 1 year and 250k fine is a joke for 29 deaths. You would think with such a stark example of the type of Coal Industry accident that the Republicans would be for strengthening of regulations and increasing the maximum penalties.

Coal exec jailed after accident killed 29 miners is out and tweeting that it’s not his fault

Blankenship, however, blames the regulators. “Again one or the other lied. MSHA or prosecution witnesses. Which one is it?” he tweeted on May 11, referring to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, formerly headed by former mining union chief Joe Main.

In March 2010, one month before the accident, the Upper Big Branch mine received 50 citations — for poor ventilation of dust and methane, failure to maintain proper escape ways, and the accumulation of combustible materials.

The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration cited the mine for 1,342 safety violations from 2005 through the accident for a total of $1.89 million in proposed fines, according to federal records. The company has contested 422 of those violations, totaling $742,830 in proposed penalties, according to federal officials.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...nt-him-there/?utm_term=.176d365be13a#comments

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Fines don't work, and jailing execs for short terms doesn't work. To put teeth in this type of regulation (which of course will only be possible after this administration is gone) what needs to happen is something like the asset forfeiture associated with the drug laws enforced on poor people. Tell this guy on his way out after his one year sentence that everything he "earned" during his criminal enterprise days (which can easily be 'interpreted' as everything he owns or ever will) has been forfeited and he'd be tweeting a different tune.

 

[Synobun]

If he was responsible for this mine during its tenure of over a thousand safety citations, I don't think it's the regulator's fault those miners died or that he ended up in jail for it.