Surviving Miner: "There's No Safe Mines"

Coal miner Kevin Lambert says he and his co-workers knew something was very wrong when they noticed that the fan that propels air underground at the Massey Energy Company's Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, W. Va. had reversed, and was blowing dust out as they were about to start the evening shift there.

"There's only certain things that can make that fan reverse," Massey told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith Wednesday. "We knew it had to be something big."

They were right. A major explosion had killed 25 miners and left four missing.

Lambert, who's mined for Massey since 2001, suspects methane gas. "We know it's gassy coal," he said. "We know that when - you're gonna hit methane. You don't know where it comes from. Could come from a crack. Could come anywhere. All it takes is a spark. I can't see how they can point a finger at just anybody. It's just methane."

Does he feel Massey, whose safety record has come under scrutiny, is a safe operator?

"They treat me alright," Lambert replied. "There's no safe mines. I don't care where you go. You're not gonna find a safe mine. They could do whatever they want - make all the laws.

"When a man goes (into a mine), he knows that could be it. … You stick your head between two rocks to make a living, you know you're taking a chance. These 25 guys … they died for a cause. Every time you turn your lights on at home … you should think about them guys.

"Everybody overlooks West Virginia. They never think about coal. We need coal. We gotta have coal. Ya gotta have it. Gotta have it. Bottom line - gotta have it."

Lambert is holding out hope the missing are still alive: "Just keep hoping these other four guys - I hope they're just lost. I hope they find them. Keep hoping and praying."

More on the mine disaster:

Photos: W. Va. Mine Explosion
Coal Mine CEO Blankenship's Revealing Tweets
Mine CEO Doesn't Rule out Violations as Cause
W. Va. Coal Mine Blast: The Victims
List Of Recent Fatal U.S. Mine Disasters
In Coal Mines, Risk of Death Is Part of Life
Mines not Paying Fines a Familiar Story
Obama Offers "Deepest Condolences"
Gov.: "No Excuse" for Mine Safety Flaws
Eerie Statement from Miner Killed in Blast
Mining Company Previously Fined for Safety
Mine Explosion Rescue Efforts

[palmflood]

Then let's pass the Sunsat Act and build solar power satellites.

[SUEZQueen]

I don't care about using coal and we sure don't have to HAVE SURVIVAL but we sure do need JOBS...where you can provide THAT INCLUDES RACEin YOUR FAMILY NO EXCUSE US

[rwsmith29456]

Mining is inherently a dangerous job, but it shouldn't be made worse by known safety violations.

[people_matter]

Mines with safety violations should be closed until the problems are fixed. Mine owners that have people continue working with outstanding violations should be held criminally liable for death and injury. When people start going to jail for unsafe workplaces, then we will see change. Cheap coal is no excuse for letting people work and die in unsafe conditions.

[halloween2]

Well said, you said it all: I think the people will have to put a stop to these
low lifes that run/owen these mines don't go to work make them pay.

[lakota2012]

There are NO SAFE MINES and there is NO CLEAN COAL.

America needs to wean itself off of dirty coal completely, and power our homes with renewable energy and 4th generation nuclear power.

[TVO1CITW]

Keep in mind, we need to use up this resource in lieu of oil right now. Someone needs to figure this out and balance it as we go so we keep the air as clean as possible while we research for better ways.

[TVO1CITW]

Unless you want to add more people to the jobless market.

[brentcox4]

What is this man supposed to say. He has a living to make and no other place to make it but as a miner. There is no union to insure this mans safetly and apparently no government that has the teeth to keep these men alive. The mine will find more workers for these good paying jobs, and these new workers and their families will be happy to have a well paying job. And this mine will make billions off the backs and the deaths of these fine workers and their families.

[rightbehind]

by rickwar April 7, 2010 9:10 AM EDT
In 1940 Russell Ohl, a scientist at Bell Labs, invented the photovoltaic cell.
America invented this technology, so why haven?t we capitalized and profited from it?


Good question, My guess is too many pockets are being lined by coal fired powered power plants. What makes it worse is they have the nut case following that protects them every time they wrap themselves in a flag, waive a Bible, or cry "Freedom from big government tyranny". Some people think freedom is lining the pockets of ceos.

[rickwar]

In 1940 Russell Ohl, a scientist at Bell Labs, invented the photovoltaic cell.

So why is dark, rainy Germany a world leader in installed photovoltaic solar panels and solar manufacturing equipment instead of the US?

People are astonished that anyone would even say the words ?Germany? and ?solar power? in the same sentence.

Germany became a solar leader by use of a feed-in-tariff.


How does a feed-in-tariff work?

Utility companies are forced through legislation to accept clean sources of energy generated by individuals, provide access points where the individual can feed the energy into the grid and pay the individual a premium for the energy they have generated.?

Germans quickly latched on to this program because it is a guaranteed source of income. This is clearly demonstrated by the year-on-year increase in solar technology equipment in German homes: 40% for the each of the last three years.

The benefits of adopting feed-in-tariffs in Germany don?t end with personal profit, ?Germany created 280,000 new jobs since implementing this incentive and is today at the forefront of innovation in the solar energy industry.?

The same program that rewards customers for generating their own electricity also allows the utilities to reallocate the cost of buying it by spreading it out to all of their customers.

?That price increase was 1.38 [Euro] CENTS per kilowatt in 2008, a price increase of less than five percent.?

Stated another way, the program adds just $1.69 to the average German?s monthly electric bill. The average electricity price increases slightly for everyone but ?This is not a tax and spinning it as such is attempting to make a deliberate distortion.?

This price increase does not go on forever: ?It is temporary and when the newly installed generators pay for themselves which is over a 20 year period, the price increase will phase itself out.?

Tellingly, 97% of all Germany?s solar power is captured using solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV is highly efficient under the most stressful conditions offering very little sunlight and little water.

Germany receives about 60% of the sunlight that the United States receives, yet even the brightness of a cloudy day provides enough light for the PV cells to generate electricity.

And since the only water required by PV cells is for cleaning the panels from time to time, a little rain acts as an automatic maid.

America invented this technology, so why haven?t we capitalized and profited from it?

[rightbehind]

That's what I find so amazing is some people actually believe that solar quits working once you cross the Mason Dixon line. Kind of like the health care insurance commercials actually stopped at state lines. How do you reason with nut cases?

[rightbehind]

We need to be moving away from coal. For what the Iraq war has cost to date we could have put solar power on 1 of every 3 single family homes in the US. Solar last on average about 25 years and is completely clean.

[rock0223]

Bird poop isn't completely clean and you'll have to climb up on your roof every so often and scrape it off.

[rickwar]

This company has one of the worst safety and enviromental records in the country.

I echo briabwb2011's comments.

The folks that work in the mines i many areas a so desperate to keep or have a job that the companies can use them as pawns to make as much profit as they can.

The average annual income in West Virginia is less than $30,000 a year. The average miner makes more than twice that much according to the Department of Labor.

However: The top dogs and shareholders, did pretty well.

Blankenship the CEO

Blankenship's 2007 salary, bonus and perks, including use of a company-owned house, topped $23.7 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday. Blankenship's compensation totaled more than $17.5 million in 2006.

Massey's profit more than doubled to $94.1 million in 2007, compared with $41 million the previous year. Its stock gained nearly 63 percent over the same period, rising from $21.93 a share to finish 2007 at $35.70.