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The U.S. Senate gave its approval Thursday to legislation crafted by Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., to significantly increase mine safety funding in the President’s latest budget request.
“In recent years, the federal coal enforcement budget has been squeezed and the loss of federal mine safety inspectors has been ignored. These cuts have resulted in gross deficiencies at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). But, most importantly, these cuts have had real and deadly consequences for America’s coal miners,” Byrd said.
“Already this year, coal mining families have suffered the loss of 21 loved ones, including 16 in West Virginia, yet the White House sent Congress a budget that ignores these tragedies. Four years of mine safety budget cuts and four years of coal enforcement personnel cuts are left in place, as if nothing has happened. It is time for the Administration to wake up to the needs of coal miners,” Byrd said.
Byrd’s amendment to the federal budget bill, cosponsored by Senator Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., adds $184 million over five years to hire additional mine safety inspectors and implement better mine rescue technologies.
“I commend Senator Byrd for taking the lead on pushing for critically-needed MSHA funding. Even in the wake of the recent tragedies at Sago, Aracoma, and in Boone County, the administration has continued to shortchange miner safety by underfunding MSHA,” Rockefeller said. “It is just outrageous that Wednesday marked the reopening of the Sago Mine, yet we still don’t have the resources in place to ensure the future safety of our miners. MSHA needs more money to drive new technologies into our mines and to avert the looming crisis in inspector retirements. With this amendment, we may finally be able to provide MSHA with the funding it needs to do the job right.”
“The miners trapped underground at the Sago and Alma mines had only a one-hour oxygen supply to last through a 40-hour rescue. The miners trapped underground could not communicate with the rescuers on the surface, and the rescuers could not locate the miners trapped underground. That’s unacceptable,” Byrd stated.
“It’s also unacceptable that the number of mine safety inspectors has dwindled since 2001, with 217 fewer inspectors today to ensure the safety of miners and vigorously enforce the Mine Act,” Byrd added.
“It boggles the mind that the horrendous death toll so far this year is being received with muted silence by the Bush Administration in terms of pouring adequate federal funds into the coal mine health and safety effort," said Representative Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., who has worked closely with Byrd on mine safety issues. "Thank goodness Senator Byrd has taken it upon himself to turn the tide, to staunch the hemorrhaging, to call attention to the pressing need to restore and increase our commitment to the men and women who daily descend into the Nation's coal mines.”
“My legislation would put more safety inspectors into the mines and would place better emergency communications and breathing equipment into the hands of miners. There is no time to waste. Another mine accident could happen tomorrow,” Byrd said.
The Senate approved the Byrd-Rockefeller amendment late Thursday by a unanimous 100-0 vote.
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