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Coal Mine Families Rally on Hill. Congress Sets Safety Hearings. Coincidence? |
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Relatives of coal mining accident victims, union leaders and lawmakers say far too much time has passed since the Sago disaster, with Congress taking no action on improving the nation’s mine safety.
Since the Jan. 2 explosion killed 12 men at the Sago Mine in West Virginia, an additional 14 miners have been killed on the job in other accidents.
Mining families, safety advocates and others rallied May 16 on Capitol Hill to tell Republican leaders in Congress to stop the foot dragging and pass new mine-safety laws to stop the carnage.
Sarah Bailey, whose father, Fred G. Ware Jr., died in the Sago Mine, was among those who spoke at the rally:
Mine operators are making millions of dollars in profits and paying minimal fines for breaking safety laws. The focus must be on safety, rather than corporate profits. We don’t want any other families to go through what we have.
Mine Workers (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts said:
The time for talking about improving safety in the coal mines is over. Congress must act, and act now. America’s coal miners and their families cannot wait.
Today in the House, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), Rep. Nick Rahall (W.Va.) and other lawmakers introduced a mine-safety bill that closely follows legislation introduced in February by Rahall and other members of the West Virginia delegation. The bill has been stalled in Congress since then.
Rahall noted that shortly after today’s rally was announced, Republican leaders said they will begin mine-safety hearings this month. He termed the timing of the announcement “interesting, but I am heartened” by the development.
The rally also coincided with introduction of bipartisan Senate legislation to improve safety at coal mines, including increasing oxygen supplies for miners. Committee action on the bill is set for May 17.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said today, “It’s crystal clear that immediate action is needed to improve mine safety measures to prevent more unnecessary deaths. But the Republican leadership in Congress has dragged its feet and refused to act.”
Both mine-safety bills would update decades-old communications technology, ensure adequate oxygen availability and improve rapid emergency response so miners have a fighting chance to survive. The House bill also would prohibit the use of dangerous conveyor belts to supply air to the mines and put some teeth into enforcement and penalties overseen by the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA).
Last month, in a letter to families of the miners who died at Sago, sole survivor Randall McCloy said several of the miners’ emergency oxygen devices did not work properly. He also wrote that the trapped miners—who survived for several hours after the blast—had no way to communicate with rescuers other than by pounding on metal objects in hopes they would be heard and discovered.
A little more than two weeks after the Sago disaster, two miners were killed at the Alma No. 1 Mine operated by Aracoma Mining Co. in West Virginia, after a fire broke out along a conveyer belt located in the same shaft used to ventilate the mine. The flow of air towards the working area of the mine carried smoke and fumes toward the miners and likely prevented their escape before they succumbed to the toxic air.
Recent hearings on the Sago explosion did not pinpoint a cause. The families who testified harshly criticized a study—paid for by the International Coal Group, the mine’s owners; the study claimed lightning was the cause of the methane explosion. There also have been reports that methane levels in and around the explosion area increased several days before the blast but that no action was taken.
Along with pending federal legislation, several states—including West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Illinois—have passed legislation requiring improvements that would enhance miners’ ability to survive accidents and stepping up enforcement of mine safety laws.
Roberts said at the May 16 rally:
We applaud the actions of the various states to address significant issues with respect to coal mine safety and health in their states. But we need national legislation that will ensure that miners everywhere in America have the same level of protection, the same chance to survive an emergency underground. That’s Congress’s job, and we call on Congress to do its job today.
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