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To evade their responsibilities, we need to tackle the backlog of cases at the mine safety and health review commission and to help hold companies accountable i've also asked secretary sol toys streamline the rules for proving that a mining company has committed a pattern of violations so that we can empower the mine safety agents to take essential steps to keep miners safe. if a mining company consistently violates safety standards, they should be subjected to the tougher enforcement that comes with being placed on an updated pattern of violations list. >> third. we can't just hold mining com...

Safety agency to take essential steps to keep miners safe. if a mining company consistently violates safety standards, they should be subjected to the tougher enforcement that comes with being placed on an updated pattern of violations list. third, we can't just hold mining companies accountable. we need to hold washington accountable. that's why i want to review how our mine safety and health administration operates. for a long time the mine safety agency was stacked with former mine executives and industry players. the industry is now run, i'm proud to say, by former miners and health safety...

President obama has ordered an investigation. massey says it does not condone citations. cnn spoke with don blankenship. >> reporter: to hear the ceo of massey energy tell it, the hundreds of violations were neither excessive in numbers nor particularly significant. >> reporter: people may be wondering why this mine was operating? >> i think the reason it was operating is all the people who are knowledgeable of manning it, whether it be the federal or state government or massey, had concluded the mine was safety to operate. these violations and the efforts on the ventilation are efforts to imp...

That is an explosion beyond proportion. >> time to turn to jack goodell, the author of "dirty coal" and "how to cool the planet." thank you for your time. >> thanks for having me. >> paying the fines imposed for these violations or paying to improve conditions to keep the mines safe and miners safe, which is cheaper at this point for a company like massey? >> well, that is sort of a no-brainer. it is much cheaper for them to take the fines. since 1995 they have had $2 million in fines for safety violations. less than half of that they have actually paid. if you average that out over 15 years w...

Twisted like a pretzel. that is horrific. that is an explosion beyond proportion. >> time to turn to jack goodell, the author of "big coal," and "how to cool the planet." also a contributing editor to "rolling stone." thanks for being here. thank you for your time. >> thanks for having me. >> paying the fines imposed for these violations or paying to improve conditions to keep the mines safe and miners safe, which is cheaper at this point for a company like massey? >> well, that is sort of a no-brainer. it is much cheaper for them to take the fines. since 1995 they have had $2 million in fines...