A federal audit of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, released in August 2019, found no evidence to support a correlation between payment of mine safety penalties and the safety of mine operations over 18 years.
Wes Addington, executive director of the nonprofit Appalachian Citizens Law Center, told National Public Radio that “penalties just aren’t high enough to deter bad behavior.”
The auditors looked at coal, metal and nonmetal mines together.
The auditors recommended that MSHA hold mine operators accountable for their safety record by not allowing them to open new mines if they have outstanding penalties. However, MSHA claims they do not have the legal authority to do this. Auditors also recommended that MSHA develop ways to measure the effectiveness of penalties, but MSHA expressed difficulties, telling NPR that fines are one of many variables to make mines safe.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and his family own the most delinquent mine companies in the country. The companies owed $4.7 million in unpaid mine safety penalties as of September, which accounts for nearly 10 percent of all mine-related delinquent debt in the United States, according to information disclosed by MSHA.
In May, MSHA and the U.S. Department of Justice sued the Justice family for failure to pay. In July, lawyers for the Justice family filed a motion to dismiss, which federal prosecutors refused. — By Hannah McAlister
Related Articles
Latest News
More Stories
English Language Learning in Appalachia
Learning English is always difficult. But current aggressive approaches to immigration policy are creating more barriers for learners and the programs that serve them than ever before in Appalachia and beyond.
Landfill Drama
Many residents of Pike County, Kentucky, are breathing a sigh of relief since county commissioners finalized their decision to rescind a contract with an out-of-state waste management company.
Overdrive: Fossil Fuels in Appalachia
Electricity demand is on the rise. Here, we share snapshots of energy trends in the region and how methane gas, coal and data centers are affecting our communities — and how people are pushing back.
Less Support for Communities with Mine Problems
The Trump administration issued a regulation to weaken the Ten Day Notice process that helps community members call in federal enforcement when state regulators don’t do a good job policing environmental problems at coal mines
Chaos at the Tennessee Valley Authority, Cuts to Public Input
The past year has brought turmoil and uncertainty to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public power provider, and its more than 10 million customers across the Tennessee Valley.
Landmark Coal Ash Protections Under Attack
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning to eviscerate important, hard-won regulations on coal ash, a toxic waste left after burning coal for energy.
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Leave a Comment