Bob Murray, the face of corporate mining - Talk of the Town - talkofthetown's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Aug 9, 2007 at 08:08 AM : Murray...

Murray bought the mines because a talking squirrel told him to.

http://www.umwa.org/journal/VOL112NO4/july1.shtml

His mines have the highest injury rates in the nation and he's paid some of the highest fines in the nation:

According to a January 15, 2006, article in The Columbus Dispatch of Ohio, Murray owns Ohio's two largest mines, which "recorded injury rates about one-fourth higher than the national average last year while being cited for serious violations by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration [MSHA]." In 2005, federal inspectors cited one of the mines, Ohio Valley Coal Co. Powhatan No. 6, "for 494 safety violations and the company paid $147,431 in fines -- nearly triple the combined amount of fines levied against Ohio's nine other underground coal mines."

And no wonder Steve thinks the best of him, Murray is a big GOP contributor:

An October 20, 2006, article in Kentucky's Lexington Herald-Leader described Murray as "a huge donor to Republican senators" and reported on a meeting at an MSHA office in which "inspectors confronted him [Murray] about safety problems at his mines." During the meeting, Murray reportedly made reference to his connections to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and McConnell's wife, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao: "Shouting at a table full of MSHA officials ... Murray said: 'Mitch McConnell calls me one of the five finest men in America, and the last I checked, he was sleeping with your boss,' according to notes of the meeting." The article added: "Murray, in a recent interview, denied that he referred to McConnell 'sleeping with' Chao."

Aug 9, 2007 at 08:08 AM : Nice piece on Murray...

Nice piece on Murray here. "A CEO With A Spine". Because he's a global warming denier.

Find his Congressional testimony here. Can anyone find a transcript of the hearing? Every Google link I click on is dead. Either they're gone because of increased hits, or they're covering up something. I've heard he said some wonderful things to the members of Congress who dared question him.

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : Nice piece...

Nice piece on Murray here.

Combine the sputtering impotent rage of Michelle Malkin’s husband with the dementia-tinged Logic Wormholes of Peggy Noonan and you might get something like Alicia Colon,

http://wonkette.com/politics/matt-drudge/matt-drudge-left+wing-liberal-media-criminal-222303.php

Limbaugh touted NY Sun columnist's misleading statistics on Iraq war deaths

http://mediamatters.org/items/200702230005

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : Agree w/ you Steve...

Agree w/ you Steve this Murray fellow is full of himself. Not sure he really cares about the miners or just protecting himself from the multi lawsuits that will be filed shortly.

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : He was on the today...

He was on the today show this morning lying his sweatervest off. Right after merideth was running off stats about the number of violations he's gotten he insisted that he was totally in compliance with every safety regulation.

It seems that these types of operations that fight regulation and get fined always end up with bad accidents that result in death. It's unfortunate that they are allowed to get away with it for so long.

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : Yea, well, when you...

Yea, well, when you have a President that guts the regulatory agency charged with overseeing one of the most hazardous jobsites in the country, and stacks the remaining parts of the agency with ex-company officials, what do you expect Pete?

Running on a claim that the government doesn't work, then breaking it when you get into power should be an impeachable offense in and of itself. Too bad Congress doesn't see it that way......

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : I just about fell over...

I just about fell over laughing this morning when the first words out of Bush's mouth were "When I took over in 2001, this country was headed towards a recession"

With the policies and tax cuts he put in place, it was sure to happen. He actually didn't lie for once.

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : Bush could visit all...

Bush could visit all disaster sites from Ground Zero to NOLA to the Minneapolis bridge collapse and use the same opening line:

"This is one of the worst disasters to befall this nation since I took office..."

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : Steve, it's a...

Steve, it's a "minor" quibble, but why would they have underage workers in that coal mine? :)

Aug 9, 2007 at 09:08 AM : a...

a President that guts the regulatory agency charged with overseeing one of the most hazardous jobsites in the country

Whistleblower Warns the Bush Administration Is Cutting Back Mining Safety Regulations

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/05/1455200

Administration Neglected Coal Mining Safety

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/04/coal-mining/

stacks the remaining parts of the agency with ex-company officials

In 2002, Bush named former Massey Energy official Stanley Suboleski to the MSHA review commission that decides all legal matters under the Federal Mine Act. Massey Energy is one of the largest coal companies in the U.S and has been cited for numerous violations. And David Lauriski, the former head of MSHA, spent 30 years as an executive in the mining industry before being tapped to head the agency. He resigned last year to work for a mine-industry consulting company. The current head of MSHA, Richard Stickler, was appointed by Bush last September. Stickler is a former manager of Beth Energy mines. The Bush administration has also cut 170 positions from MSHA.

Running on a claim that the government doesn't work, then breaking it when you get into power

"The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it."

- P.J. O'Rourke

Aug 9, 2007 at 10:08 AM :

Aug 10, 2007 at 01:08 PM : A 3.9...

A 3.9 magnitude temblor recorded at the time of a mine collapse in southern Utah on Monday, Aug. 6, was not from an earthquake, but more likely the result of the collapse itself, according to an analysis by University of California, Berkeley, seismologists.

http://www.physorg.com/news105974998.html

Still think he's an okay guy, Steve?

Aug 10, 2007 at 01:08 PM : matt love that...

matt love that pic...so so so true.