That is the norm for many mines in WV.
I don't know how many remember but it was just a few years ago that something similar happened in WV but it was the Sago Mines.
The multiple fines are nothing to the coal companies. Although there are loads of fines, they are for so little money that the mines feel they are better off either paying them as if they are nothing, or just appealing them and keeping them hung up in courts.
It is all about the money for the majority of these guys and for those that wish to argue about Unions...I am pretty sure that the current situation (with massey) is a company/mine that is mostly NON union.
Add into the fact that massey has had many complaints about strip mining that has led to many people having their properties ruined due to run off and mud slides it is a never ending thing.
The problem is in WV Coal is big business and it not only employees a large number of people but it also helps out in local communities because the employees are employeed (duh) and spend their money in the community. Without those coal mines and companies the unemployment rate would be much higher and you would also see a cause/effect situation with other businesses and communities as well.
So it is a slippery slope in WV and has been for a long time. It is not as bad as way back in the day with the coal wars where the coal companies actually hired someone to use a WWII bi-plane to drop bombs on coal miners and such. It is not as bad as in the old days where the coal company owned your home, owned all the stores and paid you in company money you could only use at company stores.
However it is still a problem. But as I said in WV it is not as simple as doing one thing or the other due to the local economics involved even if you did cut out any of the other problems.
It is a sad situation all around but I do think that if the fines were for more money, if they actually had some teeth in them, then maybe some of these mines would wind up being better because they would take heed and try to avoid these fines instead of just thinking they are not enough to really worry about.
The saddest thing is that in a few weeks or months this whole thing will blow over and people will completely forget about it just like it happened a few years ago in the Sago mine situation and again the coal companies will just go on doing what they do without much repercussions. In the end they will still keep on keeping on until the next mine disaster happens and the cycle starts again.
