Rep. George Miller Statement after his Meeting with Upper Big Branch Mine Tragedy Families
WASHINGTON – Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Labor Committee, issued the following statement after meeting today with families who lost loved ones at the April 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine explosion that killed 29 miners. Families were on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers asking them to strengthen protections for miners and increase penalties for mine operators who put miners in danger. It has been two years, two months and two days since the mine explosion in West Virginia.
“I was pleased to sit down with some of the families of the Upper Big Branch Mine tragedy today and listen to their concerns. Their message was clear that Congress should be working on new protections for miners who speak out on dangerous conditions and increasing sanctions for those mine operations that recklessly put miners’ lives a risk. I couldn’t agree more.
“More than two years after this tragedy and after numerous investigations, it is clear that the system failed these families and this community. While Congress can’t bring their loved-ones back, Congress can and should be working together to make penalties for putting miners in danger more than just the cost of doing the business. There should be broad agreement by now – we can and should act immediately to rein in rogue and dangerous operators.
“I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House and the Senate to honor promises made to these families to prevent another tragedy like this from happening again. These families’ voices must not be ignored.”
Miller and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member on the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, are coauthors of the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act.
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