http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10195/1072673-100.stm

Terrible day in my home town. Just yesterday I was riding through there.

Horrible news, prayers for every one's recovery, but on the brighter side Obama can use this as a way to curtail the coal industry as unsafe. Maybe a 6 month moratorium is needed to investigate the problems with mining and baking the impurities out of coal?

Man I hope Obama doesn't do that. Clairton Works is the only thing that keeps Clairton's economy afloat. Its been a depressed city for almost 30 years now.

Word from family that still lives in Clairton is 2 Men has died today. No real confirmation yet.

(07-14-2010 03:46 PM)wild bill Wrote:  Horrible news, prayers for every one's recovery, but on the brighter side Obama can use this as a way to curtail the coal industry as unsafe. Maybe a 6 month moratorium is needed to investigate the problems with mining and baking the impurities out of coal?

If the hundreds of coal mining disasters in WV haven't clued people into the danger inherent with the coal industry, what makes you think one more disaster will?

(07-14-2010 04:30 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(07-14-2010 03:46 PM)wild bill Wrote:  Horrible news, prayers for every one's recovery, but on the brighter side Obama can use this as a way to curtail the coal industry as unsafe. Maybe a 6 month moratorium is needed to investigate the problems with mining and baking the impurities out of coal?

If the hundreds of coal mining disasters in WV haven't clued people into the danger inherent with the coal industry, what makes you think one more disaster will?

Yes exactly. And Wild Bill the mods started a political forum on here for exactly the discussion you're looking to get going. Use that for that comment. I'm assuming its just to get an anti-Obama bickerfest going. Even if its just the opposite.

Stuff like this just makes you remember just how dangerous most of these industrial occupations still are even with all the OSHA regulations and everything else that have been put in place over the years to protect workers and the surrounding communities.

Clairton Works had an explosion in September as well and 5 fines the past 3 years.

The air quality is so bad in Clairton and Liberty Borough that there are ozone action days in the winter.

But back on topic. 2 Dead and 15 injured. Wished I knew the names so I can contact their families.

(07-14-2010 05:07 PM)animus Wrote:  Clairton Works had an explosion in September as well and 5 fines the past 3 years.

The air quality is so bad in Clairton and Liberty Borough that there are ozone action days in the winter.

But back on topic. 2 Dead and 15 injured. Wished I knew the names so I can contact their families.

Ozone Alert Days in winter! Sweet Jesus... I know the Pittsburgh area has poor air quality but that's insane.

Its just those 2 communities. Liberty gets the ozone action days because it sits directly across the river.

(07-14-2010 07:12 PM)animus Wrote:  Its just those 2 communities. Liberty gets the ozone action days because it sits directly across the river.

I was just doing a little reading on Clairton actually. Sounds like much of Allegheny County would benefit from consolidating into larger municipalities although I suppose it would reduce the number of people employed even further. Really is sad to see what just 50 years ago was a thriving region of the country just so devastated. The midwest and inland northeast really have just been crapped on as more and more jobs moved overseas.

(07-14-2010 07:12 PM)animus Wrote:  Its just those 2 communities. Liberty gets the ozone action days because it sits directly across the river.

It makes you wonder how good their water is...

My Dad, brother and brother-in-law worked at the Clairton Works for 30 years each.

I worked for two summers in college at rolling mill labor gang in the late Seventies.

My understanding is that those rolling mills (15", 21", etc) have been torn down a while back.

It is terrible to hear the news.

(07-14-2010 07:24 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(07-14-2010 07:12 PM)animus Wrote:  Its just those 2 communities. Liberty gets the ozone action days because it sits directly across the river.

It makes you wonder how good their water is...

It actually tasted pretty good. I drank it 20 years of my life. :drinky2:

(07-14-2010 07:35 PM)animus Wrote:  

(07-14-2010 07:24 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(07-14-2010 07:12 PM)animus Wrote:  Its just those 2 communities. Liberty gets the ozone action days because it sits directly across the river.

It makes you wonder how good their water is...

It actually tasted pretty good. I drank it 20 years of my life. :drinky2:

So that's why you're so warped. I knew there had to be a reason...

I know somehigh high up in the union, through family, and he said that all operations are shut down and there are no plans or firing the plant back up anytime soon. If true, this is really bad for the economy of a once proud city. I just remember when I was an 8 year old kid(20 years ago) and the city was still booming with a strong business sector. I literally grew up watching the city's economy go from bad to worse until there was only a handfull of business's left. I don't know but this is very depressing news.

I remember 45 years ago when Charleston, WV had a population of a little over 70,000. It's half that now...

When I was a kid Clairton roughly had 15k. Now it has 8. Funny thing is I saw the City's webpage and they called it a thriving community and a growing population. Made me want to puke. Clairton is the traditional run down city riddled with crime. Since there is no mill, people are going to continue to move out and crime is going to get even worse.

I wonder how many communities across the nation are experiencing similar. The number is probably larger than you'd think...

(07-14-2010 08:36 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I wonder how many communities across the nation are experiencing similar. The number is probably larger than you'd think...

Definitely. They don't call the Great Lakes area the "Rust Belt" for nothing.

The Chemical Valley has almost no chemical plants left, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, even if there aren't any jobs left...