Dear Editor:

It is a sad irony that on the 32nd anniversary of the Buffalo Creek disaster, the Gazette reported that Jack Spadaro had been demoted by federal officials at MSHA.

Spadaro investigated the Buffalo Creek disaster as a young engineer. The experience led him to dedicate his career to preventing the same thing from happening again.

Spadaro blew the whistle after the Bush Administration stonewalled an investigation of a devastating coal slurry spill in Kentucky. He also publicly criticized no-bid contracts that MSHA officials had given to their friends in industry.

Over the last year, he was put on leave and notified of his termination. Local and national media scrutinized the MSHA's flimsy charges against him. Coalfield residents and environmentalists demanded his reinstatement. An MSHA official, who was charged with orchestrating Spadaro's termination, resigned.

In the last week, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel announced a full investigation into the MSHA violations Spadaro has alleged.

After the public would not stand for Spadaro's termination, the Bush Administration strips him of power and relegates him to an office job out of state. On this anniversary, this move dishonors the memories of those lost at Buffalo Creek and undermines the safety and health improvements that were their legacy.

--Regina Hendrix (an OVEC board member, also active in the Sierra Club)