More safety measures for mines
TEXT OF STORY
Scott Jagow: This morning, Congress takes up a new bill that would improve mining safety. It’s strange — Congress just passed a mine safety bill a year ago after the tragedy in West Virginia. But of course, we’ve had another tragedy since then. Here’s Steve Tripoli.
Steve Tripoli: Twenty-two legislators rushed to co-sponsor this bill. It gained new urgency after August’s Crandall Canyon tragedy in Utah. The bill speeds up introduction of safety measures like improved underground communications.
But University of Pennsylvania mining expert Walter Licht says Congress is still lagging in some ways:
Walter Licht: I think they should emulate what other nations have done, where through national legislation it is mandated that safety chambers are placed on all the underground gangways of the mines.
This bill would have mine operators start installing safety chambers. But not until June of next year at the earliest.
Licht says other countries have had the chambers for years, and that U.S. mine operators have been resisting for a single reason:
Licht: It’s cost. Cost.
But he says every new mining tragedy erodes the cost argument.
Licht: Slowly but surely, corporations get convinced that actually there are cost savings.
Particularly when every tragedy triggers a wave of costly lawsuits.
I’m Steve Tripoli for Marketplace.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
