Rand Paul: Government should not regulate mine industry

[Faygo Kid]

In a new profile in Details magazine, Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul is quoted arguing that the coal mining industry should be allowed to self-regulate without interference from the federal government. Here's a quote from a speech Paul gave recently at a coal facility operated by a subsidiary of Massey Energy, the owner of the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, where an explosion killed 29 miners in April.

"Is there a certain amount of accidents and unfortunate things that do happen, no matter what the regulations are?" Paul says at the Harlan Center, in response to a question about the Big Branch disaster. "The bottom line is I'm not an expert, so don't give me the power in Washington to be making rules. You live here, and you have to work in the mines. You'd try to make good rules to protect your people here. If you don't, I'm thinking that no one will apply for those jobs."

Paul also said that the practice of mountaintop removal mining simply needs to be rebranded.

"I think they should name it something better," he says. "The top ends up flatter, but we're not talking about Mount Everest. We're talking about these little knobby hills that are everywhere out here. And I've seen the reclaimed lands. One of them is 800 acres, with a sports complex on it, elk roaming, covered in grass." Most people, he continues, "would say the land is of enhanced value, because now you can build on it."

(Via The Hill)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/08/rand-paul-government-should-no.html

Nuts.

[grantcart]

1. They shouldn't regulate it, they should nationalize all extraction industry activity

As has become very clear this year the market does not allocate the true cost of extraction of natural resources and in this limited situation it would be better to nationalize it so that all of the costs will be dealt with and all of the people will benefit from what lies below the surface.

[thereismore]

2. Such a self-assured little dumbass. An ideology is a beautiful thing. nt

[southernyankeebelle]

3. That right Paul we need them to legalize murder in the mines.

[Fearless]

4. China level safety insues... n/t

[freethought]

5. What's the next industry that should not be regulated?

Hmm, let's see. I got one for Mr. Paul! How about not regulating what industries do with their hazardous wastes!! What's even more scary is that this guy will probably go on record saying there is no such thing as a hazardous waste. I used to work in the business that dealt with this stuff and trust me there's a lot of it out there and getting rid of the stuff legally and safely is not exactly cheap. Trust me on another thing some corporations would be dumping the stuff down the sewers, into some local river, or in some hole in the ground if it wasn't illegal to do so.