H
Harry Hope
Guest
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/08/15/mine-safety-czar-richard-_n_60581.html
August 17, 2007
Mine Safety Czar Richard Stickler: Another Bush Fox Guarding the
Henhouse
By Max Follmer
The man who will oversee the federal government's investigation into
the disaster that has trapped six workers in a Utah coal mine for over
a week was twice rejected for his current job by senators concerned
about his own safety record when he managed mines in the private
sector.
President George W. Bush resorted to a recess appointment in October
2006 to anoint Richard Stickler as the nation's mine safety czar after
it became clear he could not receive enough support even in a
GOP-controlled Senate.
In the wake of the January 2006 Sago mine disaster in West Virginia,
senators from both sides of the aisle expressed concern that Stickler
was not the right person to combat climbing death rates in the
nation's mines.
Democrats, led by West Virginia Sens. Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller,
and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, questioned the safety record of
the mines Stickler ran when he was a coal company executive.
Over the course of his career in the private sector, Stickler managed
various mining operations for Bethlehem Steel subsidiary BethEnergy
Mines, Inc.
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported in January 2006 that three
workers died at BethEnergy mines managed by Stickler during the 1980s
and 1990s.
Gazette reporter Ken Ward, Jr. wrote that in the worst of the
incidents, one mechanic was killed, and eight other workers were
injured when the portal bus that was carrying them to the mine-shaft
bottom derailed.
A report later said the portal bus had not been properly maintained.
Stickler began his career as a general laborer at BethEnergy,
eventually rising to manage the company's operations in Pennsylvania
and Boone County, West Virginia.
He worked briefly for Massey Energy subsidiary Performance Coal in
1996 and 1997 before becoming head of the Pennsylvania mine safety
office. Stickler retired from the post in 2003.
In addition to concerns about the safety record at his mines, Stickler
also faced opposition from senators, union leaders and relatives of
those killed in mine accidents who felt an industry insider should not
oversee safety inspectors.
United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts said that
miners "could not tolerate" another industry executive overseeing
their health and safety.
"Too often these mining executives place priority on productivity, but
fail to focus on miners' health and safety," Roberts told Mike Hall at
the AFL-CIO's blog in June 2006.
The wife and daughter of a miner killed at Sago wrote a letter to
lawmakers that same month urging them to reject Stickler's nomination.
"Mr. Stickler is a longtime coal executive and because of his
connections with the coal industry, we are concerned that his primary
objectives may be solely on compliance and production, not on miners'
health and safety,'' Debbie Hamner and Sara Bailey wrote in a letter
quoted by the Gazette.
Bush first nominated Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health
Administration in September 2005.
He received renewed attention from lawmakers following the Sago
disaster.
By May 2006 it was clear that Byrd and other Senate opponents would
not allow Stickler's nomination to pass, and Republicans withdrew a
scheduled vote on his job.
In July 2006, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao hired Stickler as a
consultant and adviser, but insisted through a spokeswoman that she
was not attempting to circumvent the nomination process.
In August and September of the same year, the Senate twice voted to
send the Stickler nomination back to the White House.
In October 2006, Bush used a recess appointment to install Stickler --
a decision that was quickly denounced by senators from both sides of
the aisle.
Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican, told the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette that he "didn't think Mr. Stickler was the right man for
the job."
Another Pennsylvania Republican, Rick Santorum, also told the paper he
was "disappointed" the White House had not let senators debate and
vote on the nomination.
In a written statement Wednesday, Byrd told The Huffington Post that
MSHA's response to the Crandall Canyon incident will be a test of
Stickler's "worthiness to be properly confirmed by the United States
Senate."
Byrd also expressed concern about the slow pace of the implementation
of new mining safety laws established in the wake of the Sago
disaster.
"I told Mr. Stickler about my concerns earlier this summer," he said.
"Until I see better progress from MSHA, I will retain my hold on Mr.
Stickler's nomination."
_______________________________________________
Harry
August 17, 2007
Mine Safety Czar Richard Stickler: Another Bush Fox Guarding the
Henhouse
By Max Follmer
The man who will oversee the federal government's investigation into
the disaster that has trapped six workers in a Utah coal mine for over
a week was twice rejected for his current job by senators concerned
about his own safety record when he managed mines in the private
sector.
President George W. Bush resorted to a recess appointment in October
2006 to anoint Richard Stickler as the nation's mine safety czar after
it became clear he could not receive enough support even in a
GOP-controlled Senate.
In the wake of the January 2006 Sago mine disaster in West Virginia,
senators from both sides of the aisle expressed concern that Stickler
was not the right person to combat climbing death rates in the
nation's mines.
Democrats, led by West Virginia Sens. Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller,
and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, questioned the safety record of
the mines Stickler ran when he was a coal company executive.
Over the course of his career in the private sector, Stickler managed
various mining operations for Bethlehem Steel subsidiary BethEnergy
Mines, Inc.
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported in January 2006 that three
workers died at BethEnergy mines managed by Stickler during the 1980s
and 1990s.
Gazette reporter Ken Ward, Jr. wrote that in the worst of the
incidents, one mechanic was killed, and eight other workers were
injured when the portal bus that was carrying them to the mine-shaft
bottom derailed.
A report later said the portal bus had not been properly maintained.
Stickler began his career as a general laborer at BethEnergy,
eventually rising to manage the company's operations in Pennsylvania
and Boone County, West Virginia.
He worked briefly for Massey Energy subsidiary Performance Coal in
1996 and 1997 before becoming head of the Pennsylvania mine safety
office. Stickler retired from the post in 2003.
In addition to concerns about the safety record at his mines, Stickler
also faced opposition from senators, union leaders and relatives of
those killed in mine accidents who felt an industry insider should not
oversee safety inspectors.
United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts said that
miners "could not tolerate" another industry executive overseeing
their health and safety.
"Too often these mining executives place priority on productivity, but
fail to focus on miners' health and safety," Roberts told Mike Hall at
the AFL-CIO's blog in June 2006.
The wife and daughter of a miner killed at Sago wrote a letter to
lawmakers that same month urging them to reject Stickler's nomination.
"Mr. Stickler is a longtime coal executive and because of his
connections with the coal industry, we are concerned that his primary
objectives may be solely on compliance and production, not on miners'
health and safety,'' Debbie Hamner and Sara Bailey wrote in a letter
quoted by the Gazette.
Bush first nominated Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health
Administration in September 2005.
He received renewed attention from lawmakers following the Sago
disaster.
By May 2006 it was clear that Byrd and other Senate opponents would
not allow Stickler's nomination to pass, and Republicans withdrew a
scheduled vote on his job.
In July 2006, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao hired Stickler as a
consultant and adviser, but insisted through a spokeswoman that she
was not attempting to circumvent the nomination process.
In August and September of the same year, the Senate twice voted to
send the Stickler nomination back to the White House.
In October 2006, Bush used a recess appointment to install Stickler --
a decision that was quickly denounced by senators from both sides of
the aisle.
Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican, told the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette that he "didn't think Mr. Stickler was the right man for
the job."
Another Pennsylvania Republican, Rick Santorum, also told the paper he
was "disappointed" the White House had not let senators debate and
vote on the nomination.
In a written statement Wednesday, Byrd told The Huffington Post that
MSHA's response to the Crandall Canyon incident will be a test of
Stickler's "worthiness to be properly confirmed by the United States
Senate."
Byrd also expressed concern about the slow pace of the implementation
of new mining safety laws established in the wake of the Sago
disaster.
"I told Mr. Stickler about my concerns earlier this summer," he said.
"Until I see better progress from MSHA, I will retain my hold on Mr.
Stickler's nomination."
_______________________________________________
Harry
