Utah Mine collapse? What's with the owner?

Just watching the press conference on the Utah mine collapse due to earthquake. Well the owner(Bob Murray CEO) seems to be getting way
to agressive for all the wrong reasons. Have you seen this? What do you think? Is his focus where it should be?

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fixed punctuation typo in title

[edit on 7/8/07 by masqua]

I saw that too. That was really creepy. The fellow was being strangely defensive. He probably hasn't slept and he is most certainly under a lot of stress. I think I'll give him a break.

He is nervous, because this is where his money stops working for him, and he has to look at all those people in their eyes, knowing the truth. The truth being,
he could have done better with his money.

We create our own slavery, sending these men into places like this, to toil their lives away from God's beauty, while the rich mine owner sits back and counts his bucks.

We have the technology to create electricity without coal. But we continue to pour money into mining coal, and take for granted that these men and their families put their lives on the line, while the greedy line their pockets.

He will regret his decisions. He is already trying to backpeddal.. The rich will eventually realize that they can't be rich, without the poor.

I read in the paper (and heard on several news channels) that the mine has been cited for safety violations something like 300 times since 2004 and that they also use a dangerous practice of mining where they basically collapse the mine. I also have a feeling he was using some illegal immigrant labor.

my prayers to the family and friends for the miners that are trapped and hope they bring back alive I hope

Maybe you are reading too much into things. The mine owner is in a really stressful situation and all sorts of things could be going through his mind. He most likely is feeling guilt, sadness, and shame. He is not just worried about the well being of the miners, but his own well being as well. So it should come as no surprise that when a mere mortal, like the mine owner, who is overwhelmed with all the stresses he is under at the moment, does not appear graceful or collected.

I know illegal immigration is a hot topic issue, but I don't think green cards magically keep mines from collapsing on themselves. When it comes to safety violations, keep in mind there are major safety violations and minor safety violations.

Government inspectors and nit-picking bureacrats, and it is their job to find safety violations. The safety violations the mine was cited for could have been major violations that are not reasonably excusable, or they could be minor violations that every business gets cited for. My guess is that if their safety violations were major, they would have been shut down.

Originally posted by ChrisF231
I read in the paper (and heard on several news channels) that the mine has been cited for safety violations something like 300 times since 2004 and that they also use a dangerous practice of mining where they basically collapse the mine. I also have a feeling he was using some illegal immigrant labor.

That honeslty sounds about right. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Granted it's a stressful situation and all, I don't think somebody reacts that way unless they are dirty in some capacity...

Rescue efforts have been pushed back to 'square one'. At this point, it could take a week to get to them.

www.cnn.com

Mine boss: We're back at square one
Efforts to reach six men trapped in a collapsed coal mine in Utah all but ground to a halt Tuesday by what the mine operator's CEO called continuing "seismic and tectonic activity." It will now be a week before rescuers can reach where the men are believed to be, but it is hoped contact will be made with them in the next two or three days. developing story

[edit on 7-8-2007 by SourGrapes]

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
Maybe you are reading too much into things. The mine owner is in a really stressful situation and all sorts of things could be going through his mind.

I have to admit after watching the news coverage here all day, I changed my mind about this guy. I had originally thought he was more into CYA than he was his own men. But the press conference this evening when you could hear the emotion in his voice made me rethink him. I can't imagine having the lives of so many men on my shoulders - and that is the reality of the situation. If they die - his fault, if they live - his mine will still come under scrutiny and lawsuit.

I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt for now and pray that they can reach them via holes through the top of the mountain, get them enough food and water until they can dig through.

bleys

So whats up with the earthquakes? Are they from the cave in or were they the cause of the cave in? Do we know yet? I am so sorry for the Miners and their families. It must be so unimaginably difficult. I regret to say I have not caught it on the news. The kids are on the final take over of it before school starts and they have a ton of new dvd's.

according to some local news everyone seems to be blaming the mine for the siesmic activity, but i believe the owner and his records that say the earthquake happened BEFORE the collapse. and the fact that they have had aftershocks give further evidence that is was a natural event. the entire mountain range that they are mining in is seismically active, how do you think the mountains got there?
i find it curious that they research the background on the previous safety violations when nothing, nothing could be done to prevent an earthquake.
also according to this link the companies record is pretty good for the industry.

www.sltrib.com...

I live in Salt Lake, and I believe it was an earthquake. Senator Orrin Hatch and Congressman Matheson have been fighting the test firing of some sort of new secret weapon. Rumor here is that Utahn's are getting the shaft again from the Federal government, and that the cause of the mine accident was the testing of this very weapon at the Dugway Proving Grounds. In the past, Downwind nuclear testing in this state has cost thousands of lives; and it would not surprise me at all if we have lost another 6.

I am trying to verify some information I recieved this morning, that the russians detected the blast. Perhaps some of you know where to find this information, as I don't. I have asked for the source, but don't have it yet. For those interested, here is the unverified quote:

"Reports from Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces are reporting today that the US Military has 'unleashed' upon the World a devastating new weapon that they estimate at over 1.4 million pounds and is similar to the design of the 21,000 pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast detonated over Florida on March 11, 2003 prior to the Americans invasion of Iraq. Russian Military Analysts are presently theorizing that this massive explosion was a test of the code-named "Divine Strake" technology that the US had planned to detonate last year on their Nevada Nuclear Test Range, but were prevented from doing so by the uproar of its citizens, and has been planned to be used by the Americans against Iran's Nuclear Facilities. These reports state that this massive explosion was first detected by Russia's Cosmos-2422 HEO (highly-elliptical orbit) satellite, (which is designed for the detection of American ballistic missiles) at 08:48:40 UTC August 6 at the US Dugway Proving Ground Test Range in Utah, and which exactly corresponds to the time of a reported 3.9 Magnitude Earthquake occurring at the exact same location."

I find it interesting that MSM is hanging the owner of the mine out to dry (even though he is full of himself, very eccentric); but the truth may support his claims that their was an earthquake. However, to this point, the governement is steadfast in their denials that this was a quake; and that any tremblers recorded, were caused by the mine caving in. And, of course, they want to blame this on safety violations. Lots, and Lots of handwringing going on here......

Yeah, I noticed this too. He seems to care more about defedning the saftey record of hsi mine, and doesn't seem to give a damn about the 6 miners trapped. I've heard him say at least twice that the miners could be dead, right in front of the families. He knows that he's responsible for the collapse for not listening to the saftey inspectors, and now he's covering his ass.

It is a tough position to be in, and I am sure he feels the pressure. But, he may know this was caused by a manmade earthquake, due to weapons testing; and I think that is what he really wants to say. And if it is due to weapons testing, you can bet your last dollar, the government will not be accepting any responsibility.

If this was weapons testing, then look to a complete denial by the Feds. They have NEVER paid for the innocent lives lost in here in Utah from atomic bomb testing. If they were testing, they will wash their hands of this.

More info: www.americanprogressaction.org...

"THE NEED FOR UNIONS: The Crandall Canyon mine, which employed non-union labor, has run up "a record of more than 300 safety violations, of which 118 were considered to be serious enough to cause injury or death." The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union is sharply critical of the mine's safety record. "If it were one of our union mines, we wouldn't allow the pattern to continue," said Bob Butero of the UMWA, noting that an effort to organize mine workers failed six or seven years ago. Mine owner Bob Murray -- who yesterday boasted about his "non-union mine" -- is notorious among miners for his union-busting history. After 13 miners were trapped and killed in the Sago mine in West Virginia in early 2006, Murray attacked proposed state safety reforms as "seriously flawed, knee-jerk" reactions. In Ohio, he refused to hire union workers because of their "costly health and pension benefits"; in another operation, he paid his workers "less than $3 an hour." At a press briefing yesterday, Murray used a media appearance to criticize global warming proponents, and only later "emphasized that his heart and his priorities are with the trapped miners and their families." He urged the press to "not believe anything [the UMWA] says about the disaster."

118 violations serious enough to cause death or injury. I'd say the mine owner isn't exactly being responsible for his employees well-being.
My heart goes out to the families. I hope the miners get out OK.

basecamp1, you on about this?

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Mar. 31, 2006 - Plans for a Pentagon-led experiment that involves detonating 700 tons of explosives in the desert drew criticism from state leaders and a disarmament activist.
The explosion scheduled for June 2 at the Nevada Test Site is part of an effort to design a weapon that can penetrate solid rock formations in which a country might store nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.

"I am concerned that tests of this magnitude have been planned without providing Nevadans with any information about the possible impact on their health or safety," said Demcratic Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid in a statement Thursday.

Nevada Test Site spokesman Darwin Morgan said the test will be conducted about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, near the center of the former nuclear testing site.

The test, named "Divine Strake," will involve nearly 40 times the amount of commercial ammonium nitrate and fuel oil explosive set off in the largest open-air, non-nuclear blast at the site to date. In 2002, 18 tons of explosives were set off at the Nevada Test Site.

Source - ABC

I remember reading about this nuclear test. That may or may not have something to do with the mining disaster. But the fact still stands that the mine owner is not following safety standards and apparently, doesn't care about his employees.

Originally posted by forestlady
But the fact still stands that the mine owner is not following safety standards and apparently, doesn't care about his employees.

I heard on CNN that although he was cited for safety violations, his record was comparable to most other mines. Keep in mind that government safety inspectors can be quite petty and picayunish. If his safety violations were major, the inspectors would have shut down the mines. If I came into your house, I could probably find dozens of safety violations. That does not mean your home is an unsafe place or that you do not care about the safety of people that come into your home.

Just because they weren't cited doesn't mean the owner of the mines was innocent. As is often the case, it looks like he has an "in" with the PTB, in this case the Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.


"Who is this strange megelomanic? A poster child for the E. coli conservatives, he's the guy who, in 2002, when officials of the Mine Safety Administration confronted him about his mines' poor safety conditions, shrieked at them to lay off or he would tell Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to fire them. Chao, of course, is married to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY). According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Murray bellowed, "Mitch McConnell calls me one of the five finest men in America, and the last I checked, he was sleeping with your boss.
The Herald-Leader—in a great article, by the way; any blog afficianados who think newspapers can't bring the mojo any more should read it— explained the backstory behind the exchange thus: "When it comes to workplace-related issues such as mine safety, the McConnell-Chao marriage presents an intriguing target for industry donors. At the Labor Department, Chao has taken what some reports say is a relaxed attitude toward the regulation of coal mines and an approach that labor unions perceive as hostile.... One undisputed fact is that by Oct. 12, the number of U.S. mining deaths for 2006 had climbed to 62 -- up 41 percent from this time in 2005, the worst fatality rate in the last five years. Some MSHA officials talk of being pressured to go soft even when they uncover serious problems."

commonsense.ourfuture.org...