Upper Big Branch Report Confirms Need for Immediate Action, Rep. Miller says
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement after today’s issuance of West Virginia’s independent investigation into the Upper Big Branch mine disaster, America’s most deadly coal tragedy in four decades.
The investigation, led by former head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration J. Davitt McAteer, found that the mine was operated in a reckless manner that resulted in the preventable death of 29 miners. The panel’s recommendations echo provisions of the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act (H.R. 1579), introduced last month by Miller and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
“The events leading up to the Upper Big Branch tragedy, described by the West Virginia independent investigation panel, are chilling. The conditions could have easily come from a different era where fear and intimidation were used to produce coal at any cost. Unfortunately, 29 miners and their families paid the highest price for a company that chose to operate outside the margins of safety.
“The need for Congress to act has been clear for some time. We already knew about widespread failures by Massey management and their disregard for safety. This committee explored the industry-wide practice of gaming the system to escape tougher scrutiny. And, despite laws to protect them, we heard directly from miners and their families about the fear and intimidation they faced when they spoke up about safety problems.
“It’s time to close these loopholes and hold mine owners accountable who operate in a reckless disregard of human life. While Congress continues to be gridlocked by a pay-to-play political system, miners are put in grave danger by allowing the next Upper Big Branch to happen. Voluntary safety programs and self-policing, as the industry is advocating, is not the solution and will only put our nation’s mines back to the dark ages. There is no reason why we cannot act with a sense of urgency on these reasonable and responsible recommendations.”
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