MSC NewsWire

Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
Monday, 11 December 2023 16:39
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Pricing
    • Global Presswire
    • Industry Organisations
  • News Sectors
    • Headlines Through Today
    • Environmental Talk
    • Out of The Beehive
    • Primary Sector Talk
    • Reporters Desk
    • The MSC NewsReel
    • MSCNetwork
    • FinTech Talk
    • The FactoryFloor Newsreel
    • Trade Talk
    • News Talk
    • Industry Talk
    • Technology Talk
    • Blockchain
    • Highlighted
    • The TravelDesk
      • TravelMedia
      • Sporting Tours
      • Holidays Tours Events + More
      • Airfares
      • Travel Enquiry Form
      • TravelBits
    • Travel Updates
    • The MSC TravelDesk Newsreel
    • Travel Talk
    • Travel Time
    • The Bottom Line
    • Regional News
    • News to Run Advice Form
    • World News
    • NewsDIRECT
    • MSCVoxPops
    • Press Releases
  • National Press Club
  • Contact Us

New Premier Must Use Authority to Declare Pike River Coal Mine Sealed Forever

  • font size decrease font size decrease font size increase font size increase font size
  • Print
  • Email
New Premier Must Use Authority to Declare Pike River Coal Mine Sealed Forever

Media-encouraged hysteria feeds false hopes.

The first priority of the National government’s new dream team is to confront a nightmare. A real one. It is the moral issue of the Pike River aftermath and which takes the form of reopening the mine in order to seek for the mortal remains of the 29 brave miners who perished there.

It is a fevered issue which must now be cauterised in the national interest and in the interest of the bereaved. .

The new prime minister Bill English is the authority figure to do it. He must now state quite definitely that the mine cannot be reopened because it is too dangerous to do so.

The reason that Mr English must be quite definite that the mine cannot be reopened is because of the spiralling hysteria about the Pike River coal mine disaster and its aftermath.

Much of this is based on a generalised ignorance, and in some instances a feigned ignorance, about the specific dangers of coal mining in these latitudes. Also the way in which coal mining differs from, civil engineering tunnelling in transport or in hydro electric projects.

Coal mining in New Zealand is much more dangerous than coal mining is in most countries.

The reason is that the mining is carried out in the midst of relatively recent rock formations. This means that the drives are constantly passing through only recently formed rock through which permeates the gas of the decaying vegetation from which the coal is derived.

This gas known as firedamp-–damp is German for vapour– and it is the inflammable component.

The extent of this inflammable gas will have multiplied since the Pike River coal mine has been sealed off.

In the absence of ventilation the mine will have become one vast bottle of compressed gas.

Flushing out the firedamp from the mine in itself will be fraught.

The reason is that it will require pressure ventilation.

Where there is ventilation installed there is air handling equipment and in coal mines such equipment, notably fans, can emit sparks which can ignite this highly volatile gas.

The entire history of the short-lived mine demonstrates the dangers of what happens when moral and ideological desiderata conflict with the practical objectives of human safety.

In the case of the Pike River coal mine the conflict was embedded from the outset.

It was known that the area contained high value coal deposits.

Yet it was declared a National Park.

What followed was a moral trade-off as the demands of safety were set against the requirement of the preservation of flora and fauna and vistas.

Mr English must now use his authority to bring this lethal saga to a close. Decisively and firmly. He must say that the mine will stay sealed. He must state the reason which is Safety First .

Few will doubt his sincerity. His words though will appear harsh, most of all to Mr English himself.

He can temper the severity of his announcement by declaring that there will be a state-funded memorial to the victims of the explosion at the mine.

There are a number of such memorials on the West Coast. Among them is one to those who perished in the Strongman mine disaster of 1967. There is the memorial to those killed in the Brunner disaster of 1896.

A road has been donated to give easy access to the Pike River mine. It will provide access to the constructors of the memorial and to those who wish to pay their respects to those who perished in it.

An underground coal mine is always dangerous. Especially a disused underground coal mine .

Mr English must be blunt. He must avoid the temptation to be ambiguous.

It is never nice down there.

|  From the MSCNewsWire reporters desk  | Tuesday 13 December 2016  |

 

 

Published in THE REPORTERS DESK
Tagged under
  • The Reporters Desk

Related items

  • Free Trade EU, Geothermal, and Renewables Peak Shunned
  • Zion Heartfelt by Sean Plunket of The Platform
  • Siouxsie Film Documents Medicine Status Plunge
  • Five Eyes Means NZ Target Bill Holstein Claims
  • Billions NZD Pledged Globally Will be Borrowed Back
More in this category: « Wynyard Class Action Must Identify Litigation Targets We Were First to Predict Trumps in The White House and End of Watergate Era as Presidential rage at Press replaces the Press rage at Presidents »
back to top
Nov 30, 2018

UN Cinematographer Stephen Whitehouse Dies in Sandwich.

in EXCLUSIVE
May 10, 2018

Diplomatic dealings in Washington raise questions

in OPINIONS
Sep 12, 2018

David Yallop Inspired NZ's Andrew Little to Take Up Underdog Cause

in EXCLUSIVE
Apr 03, 2018

Connie Lawn Brought Luminous Era to Radio New Zealand

in EXCLUSIVE
May 30, 2018

M bovis: How did we get here?

in AGRICULTURE
Oct 15, 2018

Regime Involvement with 9/11 Central to Vanishing Jamal Khashoggi Mystery

in EXCLUSIVE
Apr 26, 2018

PearsonLloyd redesigns economy-class aeroplane seating to make better use of space

in TRAVELTALK
Jun 12, 2018

Urban Activist Middle Class Guilt Transfer is the Real Problem for Dairy Sector

in EXCLUSIVE

MSC NewsWire is a gathering place for information on the productive sector in New Zealand focusing on Manufacturing, Productive Engineering and Process Manufacturing

  • Home
  • Global Presswire
  • Industry Organisations
  • National Press Club
  • Disclaimer
  • About Us
  • Pricing
  • Sitemap
Copyright © 2023 MSC NewsWire. All Rights Reserved.
Site Built & Hosted by iSystems Limited
Top
Reporters Desk