Fire Underground: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Centralia Mine Fire by David DeKok

Fire Underground: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Centralia Mine Fire by David DeKok

Author:David DeKok [DeKok, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-01-27T11:25:00+00:00


LL WHO WERE AT CENTRALIA ON FEBRUARY 14, 1981, WERE HORRIFIED. Had SecretaryJames Watt been there, or Governor Dick Thornburgh, aid might have flowed to the beleaguered village within the fortnight. Nelligan had little influence with the governor, but he set out to persuade a skeptical Watt that Centralia must be helped. He thanked God, he later said, for letting Todd Domboski drop into the subsidence but sparing him, too.

James Watt had been a logical choice for secretary of the Interior, given President Reagan's personal philosophy. Watt was an arch conservative, a business sympathizer, and a proven foe of preservationists and traditional environmentalists. He had lobbied against federal clean water legislation while working for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States in the late 1960s, and most recently had been president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation, which supported conservative and pro-business causes in the courts. He had also worked in the Department of the Interior from 1969 to 1975. The James Watt that Centralia would come to know was a firm supporter of President Reagan's plan to greatly reduce the size and impact of the federal government and turn over as many ofits functions as possible to the states. The problem was that Centralia desperately needed a big-government solution, and this was anathema to the new overlords in Washington.

Nelligan was an old friend of Watt's press secretary, Douglas Baldwin, who had served with Watt on the staff of Senator Milward Simpson (R-Wyoming) in the early 1960s. This friendship gave Nelligan more access to Watt than many congressmen enjoyed but did not guarantee results.

Nelligan telephoned Baldwin early in the week after Todd dropped into the subsidence and told him several Centralia families desperately needed Interior assistance to escape homes made dangerous by the mine fire. Watt called back the following day, Nelligan says, and they discussed Centralia at length. The secretary was more receptive than he had been in January, but not much more. Nelligan recalls being lectured about how the Reagan administration was trying to cut federal spending, not seek new ways to increase it. Indeed, Interior programs were among those specially chosen by the administration for cutbacks.

Watt asked Nelligan why Pennsylvania could not help Centralia with state tax dollars. The congressman, stumped for an answer, admitted to not exploring the possibility. Parrying, Nelligan insisted the Centralia families needed immediate help. Aid would flow faster from the federal government than the state, he argued. Watt remained skeptical but told Nelligan he would take the matter under consideration.

Nelligan was pleased at the amount ofpress coverage Todd Domboski's accident was getting. The congressman had even been called by the Los Angeles Times. Nelligan believed publicity was vital to his plan to help Centralia, and like any politician, he enjoyed the attention.

State Senator Edward Helfrick was making little headway with Thornburgh, although the senator, a loyal Republican, was loath to admit it. Helfrick met with Thornburgh on Tuesday, February 17, and urged him to declare a state of emergency at Centralia.



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