(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-04 07:13

Local governments should not close all small mines without first looking into whether they are safe and legal or not, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

The snowfalls in southern China have paralyzed traffic and hindered the transportation of coal, the staple fuel for power generation in China. The country's coal stock has dropped to only about half of the normal amount. To expand the supply, officials from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said they have ordered some suspended coal mines to reopen. Some problem-free mines were implicated in the crackdown on unsafe mines in the past, while others were forced to stop operations by local governments.

In some regions, local officials shut down all small mines, both safe and unsafe, whenever a mining accident occurs to show their determination to resolve safety problems. Many safe mines have become ensnared by crackdowns as a result. The NDRC's call for these mines to reopen is actually a correction of the previous wrong decisions by some local governments.

In recent years, people have blamed the many mining deaths that happen every year on small mines. In response, the government has shifted its policies from encouragement of mining companies to strict regulation. If we look at this issue from a long-term perspective, we would find that small mines have experienced a series of booms and busts.

It is obviously unfair for the government to close all mines after there is an explosion in one of them. If a small mine is legal and safe, it should be protected by local government. The government is only interested in punishing unlawful mines. A government based on the rule of law should prevent its power from being abused.

The unstable policies pursued by some local governments place the mining industry in a bleak situation. One of the reasons small mines hesitate to invest in safety facilities is the threat of arbitrary suspension by local governments. That would mean wasted investment. Some mine owners attempt to reap the greatest profits at the smallest costs, in the shortest time, without considering long-term development. Thus, it has been difficult to improve the quality of the management in the mining industry.

Mining accidents have nothing to do with the size of a mine. Take the Qitaihe mining accident in 2005 for example - 171 people died and 48 were injured at a typical State-owned large mine. The key to preventing mining deaths is regulated management and responsible safety inspections, without which both small and large mines are unsafe.

(China Daily 02/04/2008 page4)