12 April 2010

Recovery to begin today in Montcoal

Recovery of the remaining 22 deceased miners will begin today according to CNN. Official estimates say that the recovery will take 2 days. Here are a few blurbs from the article:

"We are going to get to the bottom of this, because families should never have to pray, as they send their loved ones to work every day, that those loved ones will in fact return," Rockefeller said Sunday. "Our heroic coal miners have lost too many brothers and too many sisters, and now we must stop all of this." (emphasis mine)

While I’m certain Senator Rockefeller’s sentiments are well intentioned, it should be noted that mining coal is an inherently dangerous job. Realistically, there can be no way to remove all danger from coal mining. The best that can be hoped for is exactly what Governor Joe Manchin stated:

 

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said Saturday that even though the cause of the explosion is unclear, there needs to be a focus on better ventilation and on sensors to alert mine personnel when gas levels become dangerous.

Better ventilation and new sensor technologies should be the prime focus. This focus will give miners a better chance before gas levels reach lethal levels. Thanks again to Governor Manchin for the manner in which he has handled this tragic situation.

No comments:

Post a Comment