Hmm, should more blame go to the coal companies or to the utilities that burn it?

You go, Steve! We traveled I-77 through West Va last week. There are many offensive (but humorous) propaganda billboards up along that stretch that say things like "Coal Keeps the Lights On!", "Caterpillar Corp., A Proud Coal Supporter!", and "Coal. Homegrown Energy Independence!"

Or words to that effect.

(Sometime soon I hope to take time enough to register and be able to comment at Whitescreek, Steve.)

Here's a followup to the link I posted the other day by the same Max Follmer. Excerpt:

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.

Heckofa job, Dickie!

For everyone else, had enough yet?

Whenever the risks of nuclear power are debated, it should be noted that our current reliance on coal is not without risk.

Had three (nine?) people died in a nuclear power plant incident, I suspect the tone of the media coverage would be different than the routine "cost of doing business" tenor of coal mine disaster reporting.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Liebowitz seems to agree with Steve. Link...

If anyone wants to help Mr. Johnson pay the court costs brought on by National Coal's legal bullying, I'm sure attorney Mike Whalen can see that donations get where they need to go.