10 Years After The MINER Act, There’s Still More Work To Do

13 miners were trapped deep underground inside of a coal mine in Sago, West Virginia after an explosion. These workers were exposed to lethal doses of carbon monoxide without an escape route. The miners did not have a rescue chamber or communication devices. Without a way for rescuers to track them, the miners resorted to banging on a roof bolt with a sledgehammer in the hopes that someone above would hear them. For two days, the nation watched as rescue workers and first responders attempted to locate the miners, only to find that all but one had perished. This did not take place 100 years ago; it happened in January of 2006. 

In the aftermath of this tragedy Republicans and Democrats in Congress – along with miners and members of the coal industry – came together to strengthen mine rescue and response. Those efforts resulted in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, or the MINER Act, which was signed into law 10 years ago this month. The MINER Act marked the most significant change to mine safety laws since the creation of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in the Mine Act of 1977.  When Congress passed the MINER Act, Members declared “never again” would these kind of preventable deaths be acceptable.

Many noted that while this law was bipartisan, it fell short of what was needed to fully protect these workers.  Sadly, more tragedies have since followed, and many of these “accidents” are the direct consequence of a corporate culture that valued coal production ahead of worker safety. In April of last year, Ranking Member Scott introduced the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act (H.R. 1926) which closes these loopholes left unaddressed in the MINER Act. It is disappointing that the majority has not considered this bill at all, nor have they provided a solution of their own. Ten years ago we took a great step forward, but we have still not fulfilled the promise to keep miners safe on the job. Congress must not lose sight of the work that lies ahead on miner safety as we recognize what has been accomplished so far.