by Mike Hall, Jun 13, 2006

Coal miners have seen 33 of their colleagues killed on the job this year, and they have watched the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) become a second home for coal industry executives—instead of a strong voice for miner safety.

Today, miners and their families won a major victory when they helped derail the Bush administration’s attempt to salt MSHA with yet another industry insider.

Senate Republican leaders, knowing they didn’t have the votes to win, pulled back a scheduled vote to confirm Richard Stickler, a coal industry executive, as head of MSHA where he would be in charge of mine safety.

During his confirmation hearings in January, Stickler said he believed current mine safety laws were adequate. At the time, 15 miners had been killed in explosions and fires, and since then another 18 have died on the job—the highest number of mine deaths in any full year since 2001.

The nomination drew fierce opposition from safety advocates, the Mine Workers, families of miners killed and others.

Debbie Hamner and Sara Bailey, the wife and daughter of George Hamner Jr., one of the miners killed in a Jan. 2 explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia, wrote to Senate members:

Mr. Stickler is a longtime coal executive and because of his connections with the coal industry, we are concerned that his primary objectives may be solely on compliance and production, not on miners’ health and safety.

Saying today’s Senate decision is an encouraging victory for coal miners and their families, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said,  ”It’s up to President Bush to honor the 33 miners who have given their lives on the job this year by appointing an advocate to MSHA who will fight for miners and their families.”

Recognizing that federal mine safety laws are inadequate, Congress gave final approval June 7 to legislation that will strengthen safety rules. And some in Congress are pushing for additional improvements.

Stickler’s track record on mine safety while working in the industry is troubling. The mines Stickler managed from 1989 to 1996 incurred injury rates at double the national average, according to statistics assembled by the UMWA before Stickler’s appointment to head the Pennsylvania Bureau of Deep Mine Safety.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) had placed a hold on the nomination, and Republican leaders had scheduled a vote today to overcome the hold. But they refused to take the vote after realizing they would fall far short of the 60 votes needed to end debate.

It is unclear whether Bush will withdraw the nomination or try to win support for another vote. In the past, when Bush nominees could not win Senate approval, he has used recess appointments to bypass controversial votes. When Congress is not in session, the president can make recess appointments. But Republican leaders agreed to a Democratic demand that a cloture vote would be held if Bush indicates he will recess-appoint Stickler.

Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts praised Byrd, other lawmakers, mining families and UMWA members for their efforts against the nomination:

I want to thank Sen. Byrd for his efforts to make sure that the person who eventually holds this critical post…is someone who will change the culture at MSHA and be a true watchdog for mine safety and health. This vote would not have been stopped without the families of those killed in the mines…taking a strong and public stand in opposition to Mr. Stickler’s nomination. Their voices had a clear impact on this process…. Thousands of UMWA members called and e-mailed their senators…Our voices were heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill.

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