Tag: Federal Shutdown

Rafters furloughed: how the federal shutdown impacts the Grand Canyon

Kathy Zerkle is a river ranger for the National Park Service who works in Fayette County in New River Park, and, you guessed it, she’s out of work these days. Furloughed. And while she’s concerned about what that means for the safety and well-being of the New River Park and the public that visit, and her personal future financially, she’s also concerned about how the government shutdown impacts the Grand Canyon—or at least her ability to experience it.

Zerkle says the National Park Service has already been operating in a limited capacity under the government sequestration, and now, what was a staff of about 100 has been cut to 9. She says she’s frustrated by policy makers’ inability to balance matters of public safety with partisan agendas, but moreover, now she’s seeing her dream of rafting down the Grand Canyon dashed as well.

“I certainly didn’t want to see the President give in to the tactics of the Republican Party, just so that I can go on the Grand Canyon, but it sure would be nice to go on the Grand Canyon! We’ve been planning this for over a year.”

Zerkle explains, in order to raft down the Colorado River that carved out the Grand Canyon, you have to pay a fee and enter a lottery a year before you hope to float.

“A year ago, February, I went ahead and put in for this year and was awarded a date, which happens to be October 25th, and I can take a maximum of 16 people for 21 days down the Grand Canyon.”

Food, gear, transportation—that’s all up to whomever gets the golden ticket—so to speak. Zerkle says she and her friends have been preparing, investing, and there’s a mountain of gear sitting in her home, ready to be driven across the country. But she’s not sure if she and her cohorts can afford to trip-it all the way to Arizona just to be denied access at the gate. She says 22 groups have tried to put-on since the shutdown and they’ve all been turned away.

So why, right? Even though the National Park Service is furloughed, rafting continues in West Virginia. It’s one of the busiest times of the year, in fact. Zerkle explains that it really comes down to access.

“A lot of the properties within our boundaries are owned by private entities, the roads are state roads, there’s private property at the end of the government roads and even at the end of the Park’s roads, so we can’t block access. Plus, I like to think that in New River, our superintendent, coolers heads prevailed and they were able to find a way to say that the New River and the Gauley River are navigable water ways and the only people who can shut down access to navigable waterways is the US Coast Guard.”

But it’s a different story out West. All the property surrounding the Grand Canyon, all the roads, all the concessions, the put-in areas, plus the permitting process, the required check-list that has to be verified, the required orientation procedures that teaches the public how to protect the resource during the three-week excursion—it’s all is under the control and management of the National Park Service.

So Zerkle’s livelihood and her dream of rafting down the Grand Canyon are on hold. While it makes her feel ill, she says her priorities are still in line, and her biggest concern remains the future of the nation. Her opinion of Washington? Her faith in leadership?

“We are really just pons in the Big Game. It bothers me that these people that are elected officials who are supposed to be here for the good of the group are really more concerned about what I feel their personal agendas are.”

In the latest developments, over the weekend, The Grand Canyon and other national parks were opened to the public, but only because states have come up with the money to support them. And while that bodes well for some tourists–and the businesses that rely on them–it’s a temporary deal. It costs in the ball park of $100,000 a day to operate a park like the Grand Canyon. States have only been able to promise about a week to the public which means, Kathy Zerkle and her friends, who are scheduled to visit the canyon October 25th, are still in limbo, hoping legislators will strike a deal, and soon.

Technicians returning to work, but National Guard still facing challenges

A majority of the furloughed West Virginia National Guard members and support staff are returning to work this week because of a movement in Congress to extend military pay to reserve members.

But the state’s top-ranking Guard official said a return to work doesn’t mean those members, and the overall safety of the state, won’t continue to be affected by the federal government shut down.

“The Guard in West Virginia will overcome obstacles and we’ll make things happen to take care of our people in this state, but we shouldn’t have to operate this way.”

Adjutant General James Hoyer made his plea to Congress during a press conference at the West Virginia National Guard headquarters in Charleston, saying its time to put an end to the federal government shut down.

“We are starting to experience degraded readiness in the West Virginia National Guard as a result of this. There are 53 other National Guard organizations across the country that are experiencing the same problems,” Hoyer said Tuesday, “so if you look a that in a holistic approach, we’re starting to really effect our ability to protect our nation and our homeland.”

Money, he said, is a major part of that problem. Money to pay for employees, facilities and supplies.

As Congress prepared for the federal shut down last week, they passed House Resolution 3210 to continue to fund the military; however, Hoyer said the resolution was interpreted by the Department of Defense to mean only active duty members.

In order to keep some 389 military authority employees working, or state employees whose salaries are reimbursed by the federal government, Hoyer and his team began postponing infrastructure maintenance projects around the state and shifting the money to cover those salary costs. Those costs have added up to around $300,000 a week.

 “I’ve only got a $16 million dollar state budget and the longer they go, the longer I wait for the reimbursement,” he said. “So, we can only to a certain threshold of pain.”

“Right now we can go to the 16 at noon unless we sit down and come up with another project that we push back.”

After the 16 and without another source of funding, should the federal shut down continue, Hoyer said the state may have to furlough those workers.

As for the 1,150 federally funded civilian technician positions who were furloughed beginning October 1, Hoyer said nearly 1,000 of those returned to work this week. That return came after Congress lobbied for the federal Department of Defense to loosen the restrictions on that same House Resolution.

Guard and reserve employees will now also receive pay for their return to work that began Monday, but Hoyer said, again, until a budget is passed, he has no idea how long it will take for that money to actually come.

On top of salary issues, Hoyer said his Guard members haven’t been able to train, keep up with vehicle and air craft maintenance, and provide services to active duty families and veterans.

Without keeping up on all of these, he said should an emergency occur, it will take the Guard longer to prepare and respond.

“One way or the other, West Virginia Guardsmen will be where they need to be to take care of the people of West Virginia,” he said. “Now, it might be in a different fashion and it’s going to be a hell of a lot more painful for us in the Guard to get to where we need to be.

“Is that fair to the men and women who go out and do that? That we have to put them in a position that they have to go the extra above and beyond when we don’t have to be in this position?”

Hoyer added there are three new military helicopters for the Guard that should have been picked up on October 1 to replace aging state equipment.

As of now, there are no funds to move those helicopters, leaving the Guard in short supply should there be an emergency.

That and similar issues, Hoyer said, will lead to delays in response as they try to come up with new ways to deliver supplies or conduct rescue missions.
 

W.Va. agriculture chief: Shutdown won't affect operations

West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Walt Helmick said Tuesday the partial federal government shutdown won’t affect his agency’s operations.
 
     Helmick said  in a news release that the Department of Agriculture is continuing daily inspections at livestock slaughter and processing facilities.
 
     The department also is continuing surveillance of egg and dairy products, testing poultry flocks for disease and conducting other routine activities.
 
     Helmick said the department has broad powers under the state code to conduct inspections, enact embargoes and quarantines, and to deal with any livestock disease outbreaks.
 

UMWA: 'check on your buddy' during government shutdown

The United Mine Workers is reminding miners to stay safe during the government shut down. Three miners died in just as many days over the weekend. 

UMWA president Cecil Roberts is urging all miners to be especially careful at work.

Roberts said, “check on your buddy,” and “watch each other’s back.”

On Friday 62-year-old Roger R. King from Moundsville was killed after an accident at CONSOL Energy’s McElroy mine in Marshall County. He was employed as a longwall maintenance coordinator and had 42 years of mining experience.

A miner from Illinois died Saturday and another from Wyoming on Sunday. The investigations are ongoing.

This is the first time in 10 years that three miners have died three days in a row.

The deaths have occurred since the federal government shutdown began early last week. The standoff in Washington has cut back the number of mine inspectors—those working at the mining academy and field offices where specialists evaluate ventilation and roof control plans.

In the statement Roberts said he’s not trying to draw premature conclusions, but said, “it is extremely troubling that within a week after the federal government shutdown caused the normal system of mine safety inspection and enforcement to come to a halt, three miners are dead.”

MSHA sent out a release on Monday urging operators to follow safety regulations. Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health said the rash in deaths “is a red flag.”

Could the federal shutdown set back mine safety progress?

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is inevitably affected by the standoff in Washington. MSHA is partially open with less than half the…

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is inevitably affected by the standoff in Washington. MSHA is partially open with less than half the staff.

A letter from the Department of Labor Solicitor Patricia Smith, indicates that MSHA is operating with less than 1,000 employees, that’s less than half the full staff. The shutdown has cut back the number of mine inspectors—those working at the mining academy and field offices where specialists evaluate ventilation and roof control plans.

Since the federal shutdown, communication with the MSHA is limited. They did, however, issue a release Monday to urge mine operators to follow regulations and ensure safe practices, and to remind miners to report hazards.

One mine safety advocate worries the shutdown will only further clog the system.

Sam Petsonk is with the non-profit organization Mountain State Justice. He’s directing a new project called the Miners’ Safety and Health project.  

Petsonk grew up in Morgantown and was working for the late Senator Robert C. Byrd when 29 men died at the Upper Big Branch disaster. Petsonk says the disaster was a wakeup call to action.  

“The federal system had failed to prevent that disaster,” Petsonk said. “I recognize that unless there is real time information provided by miners to mining companies and to the state and federal regulators the system can’t identify and stop this sort of challenges that mines encounter.”

In 2010, the late Senator Robert C. Byrd secured more than $22 million to help the federal officials deal with a mine safety appeals backlog. While MSHA has made progress, Pestonk points out that even with full staff, it’s tough to keep up.

“MSHA has an immense amount of work to do,” he said. “They do it well but this type of cutback were it to last for any amount of time would threaten the progress we’ve made on mine safety in this country.”

Federal law requires underground mines to be inspected four times a year, while surface mines are required to have two inspections per year.

According to a letter from Assistant Secretary Joe Main, the limited staff has cut back on ‘routine’ inspections. It appears that staff is limited to work on inspections of targeted mines, investigations of accidents, miners’ complaints, mine sample analysis, building securities, information technology support, mine safety plan approvals, and mine emergency readiness.

This concerns Petsonk.

“The shutdown may jeopardize this type of critical oversight and enforcement activity,” he said. “I’m not suggesting there’s any emergency that should alarm miners or their families. But unfortunately during a lull in oversight, some operators have in the past have been tempted to make changes or shortcuts without proper third party review or approval by MSHA.”

MSHA investigations indicate that these types of activities have contributed to deaths in the past.

MSHA has a layered approach to oversight and with some of those layers missing; Petsonk worries that any progress in improving mine safety culture will be jeopardized. 

“We have this complex system because this is a complex industry,” he said. “The checks and balances when they’re not in place unfortunately oversights can arise and unprincipled operators or unprincipled actors can try to take advantage and the consequences of that could be tragic it’s something that we don’t’ need to deal with. It’s a risk that we don’t’ need to incur.”

Three coal miners, including one from West Virginia, died this past weekend:

  • On Friday 62-year-old Roger R. King from Moundsville was killed after an accident at CONSOL Energy’s McElroy mine in Marshall County. He was employed as a longwall maintenance coordinator. King, who had 42 years of mining experience with 17 years  at the McElroy mine, was killed while assisting in setting up the panline on a new longwall face. King was standing in the face conveyor, facing the tailgate side of the section, when the accident occurred. According to a release from MSHA, a pulley was attached to a section of the conveyor and a scoop was being used to pull the chain. The device failed, came loose and struck King in the back of the head. 
  • Another miner died on Saturday at the Pattiki mine in Illinois. MSHA said this accident involved a golf cart used to travel underground. The golf cart rolled over and pinned the victim underneath. 
  • At the Bridger Coal mine in Wyoming, a dozer operator was killed on Sunday. MSHA said the dozer went over a 150-foot highwall. The operator began searching for the victim at the end of the night when no one heard from the miner. The dozer and victim were found at the bottom of the highwall.

MSHA Assistant Secretary Joe Main said this is the first time in 10 years that the mining industry has suffered three deaths three days in a row.
“Three miners killed on three consecutive days is extremely troubling,” said Main. “The fact that that this occurred over the weekend, when there may be a greater expectation an MSHA inspector would not be present, is a red flag.”

Meanwhile, the annual TRAMS or Training Resources Applied to Mining Conference is scheduled for next week in Beaver. But that’s not likely to happen if the shutdown continues.

Safety professionals from around the country typically attend the TRAM conference.

Petsonk said despite the shutdown, and short staff, miners would do well to remember that they still have the right to refuse and report unsafe conditions.

“During the shutdown the message to miners is the same as it always is,” Pestonk said. “The system will not work without your active involvement. Keep your eyes open file complaints participate in the system. The Mine Act is intended to work only with your support and it’s critical during the shutdown as it always is perhaps even more so.”

MSHA was not available for further comments because of the government shut down.

Federal lawmakers struggle to make good

U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, along with 48 other senators and Congressman Nick Rahall (all D-W.Va.) sent a letter today to Defense…

U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, along with 48 other senators and Congressman Nick Rahall (all D-W.Va.) sent a letter today to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging that the National Guard and Reserves, and the civilians who support our troops, receive pay during the government shutdown. 

The letter comes despite the passage of the “Pay Our Military Act” which was signed into law just before the government shutdown.  The intent was to make sure all military personnel receive pay. Still, somehow many service members and civilians, especially in the National Guard and Reserves, have been furloughed without compensation.

Meanwhile the list of legislators who have said that they plan to donate or refuse compensation earned over the course of the shutdown grew to 127 today.

Senator Joe Manchin announced today that he will donate the salary he receives during the government shutdown to the Save the Children charity in West Virginia

Congresswoman Shelley Moore-Capito has also asked that her pay be withheld until the shutdown is over. A representative from her office reports that she intends to donate that pay to a charity, but doesn’t specify which one.

Quick fact: Members of the House and Senate have earned $174,000 annually since 2009–which is about $500 every day. Among congressional leaders, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) earns $223,500 annually, while the Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) each get $193,400.

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