No surprise, but as it is and has been for decades unwritten-but-practically-official state policy to obey Big Coal in the matter of mine inspections, it would have been nice, for once, to get the facts out in open court.
The Steve Beshear administration has settled for $270,000 a lawsuitYeah, exactly. And $270,000 is far less than what Kentucky taxpayers have already paid to protect Beshear's ass with delaying tactics over the past three years.brought by its former director of mine permits who claimed he was fired three years ago for blocking illegal permits sought by coal giant Alliance Resources.
The state Energy and Environment Cabinet released the five-page settlement with Ron Mills Wednesday morning.
It calls for the state to pay Mills $270,000 in exchange for dropping a lawsuit he brought in Franklin Circuit Court claiming he was fired for blowing the whistle on what he said was an illegal state policy.
The agreement states that the settlement is not an admission of “any liability, violation or wrongdoing” by the state.
And the agreement includes a confidentiality provision prohibiting the parties from discussing settlement negotiations.
Everybody knows what goes on between Big Coal and Frankfort. But it's never been put on the record, and it needs to be. Until it is, we'll never be able to change it.
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