Two different explanations are now being offered for the explosion at the Sago Mine in Central Virginia last year, which killed 12 miners. The United Mine Workers are skeptical of the official inquiry–and I think rightly so. Here’s what Cecil Roberts, the union’s president, says:

“The report by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regarding

the Sago Disaster of January 2, 2006, sheds some additional and important

light on the events that caused the tragedy.

“However, the MSHA report says that lightning is somehow the most likely

cause of the ignition. The UMWA continues to believe that is a far-fetched

theory and is unsupported by physical evidence found and examined in the

mine.

“We do not believe MSHA or anyone else has conclusively or satisfactorily

demonstrated how a charge from a lightning strike over two miles away

entered the sealed area of the mine without a conduit from the surface. It’s

also important to note that MSHA did not conclusively rule out a roof fall

or other frictional activity as the cause of the ignition, which the UMWA

believes is the most likely ignition source.

“Nevertheless, I would add that since both the state and federal agencies

have concluded that lightning probably caused this tragedy, the UMWA

believes that emergency regulations must be immediately put in place

nationwide that will mandate protection for miners working underground, up

to and including withdrawal of miners from underground areas of a mine in

the event of an approaching storm that may generate lightning.

“Despite its conclusions about lightning being the cause of the ignition,

MSHA’s report does not contradict the UMWA’s contention that whatever the

source of the ignition, it was the conditions inside the mine at the time of

the ignition that caused these 12 men to die.

“They are not dead today because lightning struck over two miles away from

the sealed area, nor are they dead because of frictional activity in the

sealed area.

“They are dead because substandard seals were approved by MSHA years ago and

used in this mine; because a flawed ventilation plan was approved and

implemented; because there was not a mine rescue team immediately available

on the property; because there were inadequate functioning oxygen units

available underground; and because there was no emergency refuge chamber for

them to go to.

“MSHA’s report doesn’t change these deadly facts. As I have repeatedly said,

had MSHA followed the mandate of Congress and its own rules and regulations,

and had the company been more concerned about safety than production, these

12 brave miners at Sago would be alive today. After the release of MSHA’s

report, I am even more convinced of that.”

    Compare that to what the official inquiry says, according to today’s Wall Street Journal:

A lightning bolt likely traveled down a pump cable inside a sealed section of the Sago Mine to touch off the methane blast that led to the deaths of 12 miners last year, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday.

Lightning is one of three “root causes” the agency cites in its long-awaited investigation into the Jan. 2, 2006, explosion at the International Coal Group Inc. mine in central West Virginia.

The report is the first time a conduit for the electrical charge has been mentioned. Previous reports by the company and the state pinpointed lightning as the cause, but did not mention the route the charge took into the mine.

Also contributing to the blast were: gas levels inside the sealed section of the mine were not monitored and seals used to close off the inactive section from the working mine were not strong enough to withstand the force of the blast, according to a copy of the report obtained by the Associated Press.

    The lightning bolt explanation seems a bit far-fetched to me. But, the most important point is how woefully inadequate safety measures are in the mines. Everyone understands that mining is less safe than sitting at your desk punching on a computer. But, the corporate attitude towards the lives of miners is an abomination. That’s the lesson from Sago.