it is super depressing. i'm doing a lot of research on mountaintop removal for my economics semester project.
i was pretty disappointed to see the response of the DEP in the video, as well, but it is typical of the entire government framework around coal mining- there is a lot of regulatory capture by industry. i do actually have a certain amount of compassion for the DEP employees here, since they likely face a great deal of political pressure from on high to lightly regulate the coal industry. however, at some point that sort of tacit approval does become suspect- where should morality play a role in job choice?
glad you watched. i may post more of the interesting tidbits as i go through my research.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-11-14 10:41 pm (UTC)i was pretty disappointed to see the response of the DEP in the video, as well, but it is typical of the entire government framework around coal mining- there is a lot of regulatory capture by industry. i do actually have a certain amount of compassion for the DEP employees here, since they likely face a great deal of political pressure from on high to lightly regulate the coal industry. however, at some point that sort of tacit approval does become suspect- where should morality play a role in job choice?
glad you watched. i may post more of the interesting tidbits as i go through my research.