USA Today is reporting criticisms of the Bush administration's decision to abandon most previously identified priorities for mine safety and health, criticisms that took on renewed life after the Sago tragedy and now are intensifying as another West Virginia mine accident keeps mine safety in the news. For a compilation of those abandoned priorities for protecting the public, click here. You can download a recent overview of MSHA's failures as well as those of other agencies. Some abadoned plans worth noting in light of recent news:

• RIN 1219-AB19: Self-Contained Self-Rescue Devices
• RIN 1219-AB20: Mine Rescue Teams
• RIN 1219-AB23: Escapeways and Refuges

Keep in mind, though, that MSHA is not alone in failing to protect the public -- it is a widespread pattern of failure that will be the enduring hallmark of the Bush administration, to the detriment of us all.