Now, this is exactly the kind of backwards, two-faced Conservative mentality that grates on me. On the one hand, apdst complains about a private company being shut down by the government for not implementing proper environment safeguards, but on the other hand he advocates that the very same government pay the cost for correcting the problems of this private company all the while complaining that the government spends too much of the taxpayers money while also championing the need for people and private entities to "take responsibility for themselves".
You're such a hypocrite and a foolish one at that.
Let's get to the real issue here, shall we?
The mining company, Arch Coal Inc., was informed they had environmental safety problems for atleast a year. The EPA offerred cost effective solutions, but the mining company refused. As such, the EPA shut them down out of the greater concern for the health and safety of the population center that would have been adversely affected by environmental waste being dumped into rivers and streams that pollute safe drinking water. The irony here as with all environmental and safety issues is that had the EPA not taking such a strong stance and shut this facilty down AFTER giving them ample opportunity to correct the problem, the public would have cried foul against the federal government (EPA) for not acting sooner to protect the public.
So, my position here is why doesn't Arch Coal Inc. just pay the $.55/per ton - the estimated $5 million dollars it would take - to correct the problem and remain in operation, thus, keeping (reportedly 250) people employed? This is capitalism at it's worse! Arch Coal Inc would rather save an estimated $5 million dollars now and run the risk of potentially losing a class-action lawsuit later which could potentially cost them a much higher pay-out in fines, penalties and settlement fees. Very smart...NOT!!! Just ask companies like PG&E out of California how knowing polluting public drinking water turned out for them. Or how about BP recently (even though that was an accident, they and their associates knew the risks as they were drilling).
Look, I'm all for a private business or private citizen making a few bucks, but never at the cost of the safety and well-being of its employees nor the community which they serve. To blame the EPA/Obama administration for being responsible is foolish. If Arch Coal Inc acted just as responsible, this issue would have been resolved long ago.
