I made a few cracks about the Chilean miners eyeware upon their escape but new figures from the Mine and Safety Health Adminstration are a reminder of the deadly occupational hazards for an atavistic industry. In September, federal inspectors issued nearly 600 citations for safety violations found at 30 problem mining operations across the country Those include Idaho and and the Upper Big Branch Mine in Massey, West Virginia where 29 miners died in April. The news in China was horrifying, the world was watching Chile, and U.S. mine companies consistently put profit before safety and the environment yet there is little urgency to wean ourselves off.



















The majority of the violations – 331 of them – involved coal mines. Another 232 were issued to metal and nonmetal mines, a category that includes quarries and cement plants. According to the Boise Weekly, the Galena mine near Wallace, Idaho's second largest mine, got 10 violations in September, including accidents, injuries, a fatality and inadequate exams. 

My question: How much longer will the high cost of energy in America be paid for in human lives?

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