[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E38]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SAGO, ALMA NO. 1 MINE TRAGEDIES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, 2006 has not been kind to West Virginia's 
coal mining communities. First, we lost 12 miners in Sago. Then, just 
17 days later, a fire broke out at the Alma No. 1 mine in Melville, 
trapping two men, untraceable beneath the Earth's surface. I was with 
the families of Ellery ``Elvis'' Hatfield and Don Bragg while we waited 
for news of the two men. We clung tightly to the hope that those men, 
dust-covered and weary, would emerge from the Alma mine to the hugs of 
grateful families. In the end, our worst fears were realized, and West 
Virginia lost two more brave souls.
  These tragic events must be investigated by the appropriate 
officials. Meanwhile, with the Governor advancing new laws at the State 
level, I and the entire West Virginia Congressional delegation led by 
Senator Byrd, have already begun to respond by crafting legislative 
proposals at the federal level to make our mines safer places to work. 
The nation owes it to our coal miners to advance and enforce new and 
improved safety measures, and I am wholly dedicated to that endeavor.
  I and the rest of the West Virginia Delegation, recently met with 
White House and other federal officials regarding our concern for mine 
safety laws and future improvements. I have also called on Congress to 
convene hearings on the Sago and Melville mine tragedies.
  Too often in recent years, miners have expressed fears that the 
agency's safety mission has been diluted by concerns about costs and 
that the agency is, in fact, rolling back safety and health gains made 
since its creation. West Virginia miners toil every day to keep our 
Nation strong and so we are compelled to do all that we can to ensure 
their safety and well-being. No stone should be left unturned in the 
efforts to learn the causes of these tragedies. The Sago and Melville 
communities--and miners across the nation--deserve a full, fair and 
expeditious look into these critically important issues.
  God bless the families who lost their loved ones in these tragedies, 
and God bless all who toil in our mines every day.