BTL:Israeli-Palestinian Impasse Likely to Persist after Sharon's Stroke

Interview with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, conducted by Between the Lines' Scott Harris

West Virginia Coal Mine Deaths Expose Bush Weakening of Federal Safety Regulation

Interview with Chris Kutalik, editor of Labor Notes, conducted by Scott Harris

An underground explosion at West Virginia's Sago Coal Mine on Jan. 2, trapped 13 miners and led to the deaths of 12 of those men. Although media attention on the mining accident initially focused on the tragic miscommunication that led family members to believe that all the miners had been saved when only one was actually found alive, more important issues of mine safety have been glossed over.

Over the past two years, the non-union Sago Mine was cited 273 times for safety violations by the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA. Sixteen violations, occurring in the past eight months at Sago, were classified as serious safety infractions for which the operator had already received warnings. Eighteen of the 46 most recent violations were issued for inadequate measures to prevent the mines' roof collapsing and insufficient ventilation to avert the build-up of dangerous gases.

A Knight Ridder investigation concluded that since taking office in 2001, the Bush administration has issued fewer and smaller major fines on the coal industry and collected less than half of the money that violators owed. Under Bush, the number of mining inspectors has been reduced by 100. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Chris Kutalik, editor of the magazine Labor Notes, who takes a hard look at mine safety issues surrounding the 12 deaths at the Sago Mine.

Contact Labor Notes' Detroit office by calling (313) 842-6262 or visit the magazine's website at www.labornotes.org

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"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: http://www.btlonline.org
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