[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 12 (Monday, February 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S698-S699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MINE DISASTERS

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, it has been 36 days since 12 coal miners 
perished at the Sago Mine in Upshur County, WV. One died from the 
explosion that ripped through the underground mine. The other 11 
succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
  It has been 18 days since two coal miners perished in an underground 
fire at the Aracoma Alma in Logan County, WV. It has been 5 days since 
two miners perished in separate mine accidents in Boone County, WV.
  Sixteen coal miners dead, in four separate accidents, in only 36 
days.
  These deaths have shaken communities across the State of West 
Virginia and alarmed a nation. Three additional coal mine fatalities in 
the States of Utah and Kentucky in the last 28 days confirm that this 
series of accidents is national in scope and demands swift action.
  Mr. President, after years of delay, the Coal Mine Safety and Health 
Administration at last acknowledges the need to reassess some 
technology and regulations but cannot give any definite timetable about 
when the action will be taken. I, for one, do not want to see more 
delay. This Federal Government, which is empowered by our Constitution 
to ``promote the general welfare''--and that applies to our Nation's 
coalfields as well as anywhere else--must not wait.
  The West Virginia congressional delegation has introduced legislation 
outlining a series of actions that can be taken immediately to make 
America's coal mines safer. We know, for example, that technology 
exists right now to improve mine rescue communications. We know that 
additional emergency breathing devices can be stored in the mines. We 
can do these things today, right now. The Senate could pass the West 
Virginia delegation bill today to implement these requirements in the 
mines.
  I have asked the Republican and Democratic leadership to schedule 
immediate action on this matter. The Democratic leadership has pledged 
to do everything it can, and the Republican leadership has been very 
positive in its response. A bipartisan and growing coalition of 
Senators from mining and nonmining States has asked to be added as 
cosponsors to our legislation. They recognize its importance and the 
need for its immediate passage.
  I have spoken with the chairman and with the ranking member of the 
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and they fully 
understand the urgency driving this legislation. They not only 
organized a committee trip to Sago Mine in January, but they also 
committed to reviewing the West Virginia delegation bill within hours 
of its introduction. These Senators are on our side.
  I am confident they will do all they can do to ensure quick action. I 
am happy to work with all Members of the Senate to expedite passage of 
this bill. With quick work, I see no reason why this Senate cannot move 
expeditiously. We should and, in fact, we must. Every day we delay 
increases the risk for coal miners in the field.
  While four deadly accidents in the past 36 days occurred in West 
Virginia, any State in the Union with coal mines could be next. Today 
it is my State of West Virginia and the States of Kentucky and Utah 
that mourn the tragic loss of life in our coal mines. Tomorrow it could 
be Pennsylvania, Alabama, Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, or Illinois. Who 
knows.
  I was at the memorial service for the miners who died in the Sago 
mine disaster. I saw their families. I saw their grief. I saw their 
pain. I have no desire to see more. The longer we wait to approve this 
legislation, the more likely it is that additional miners will die. If 
more miners die, more mines could be closed and for longer periods of 
time in order to ensure safety. Mine closures not only will put 
families out of work but will also disrupt coal and energy production, 
with the economic effects rippling across the national economy.
  We must never forget that a coal miner has the legal right to walk 
out of an unsafe coal mine. A miner cannot be forced to work if he or 
she feels their life is threatened. Today when coal provides such an 
important part of this Nation's energy supply and our Nation is 
dangerously dependent upon foreign oil, we must keep our coal mines 
open and operating, but first we must make them safe.
  For the sake of America's coal miners, for the sake of their families 
and their communities, and for the sake of

[[Page S699]]

the energy security of our Nation, I urge that this much-needed 
legislation be approved as soon as possible. There is a moral 
imperative to act, and we must not delay.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Specter, Kerry, 
and Clinton be added as cosponsors of S. 2231, the Federal Mine Safety 
and Health Act of 2006.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sununu). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the Senate, and I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts is recognized.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I commend my friend and colleague from 
West Virginia for once again giving focus to this issue of national 
proportion and importance. I know he recognizes that those 
extraordinary mine tragedies at Sago struck the heart and soul of all 
Americans. I had the opportunity to visit with the families from that 
community. I want him to know that as a member of the HELP Committee, 
which has some jurisdiction over the measure he introduced, we are 
going to work closely with him to ensure, to the greatest extent 
possible, safety for miners.
  We have seen an example of what has been done in Canada with the 36 
or 37 miners who were locked in the bowels of a mine for several days 
and they walked out because they had oxygen available. We have seen 
other miners who have been saved in other parts of the world, such as 
Australia, because they had communications which permitted them to be 
warned about the dangers of mines.
  He raises an issue that is of central importance, not just to the 
people of West Virginia but to all who care about those families who 
make such a difference not only to their communities but to our country 
and to our energy needs. I thank him and look forward to working with 
him.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from 
Massachusetts, Mr. Kennedy. He is always sensitive to the problems that 
occur in West Virginia. He is always mindful of the coal miners and 
their problems, their sorrows.
  I thank him for being such a steadfast partner with the two West 
Virginia Senators and such a steadfast friend throughout the years to 
our fellow West Virginians. I thank the Senator.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, at the present time, the Judiciary 
Committee is meeting with the Attorney General. I am necessarily absent 
from that meeting so I can make comments on the asbestos legislation 
which is now pending. I will return.
  As I understand it, Senators Specter and Leahy and others involved 
will have a chance to speak. I ask unanimous consent to speak in 
morning business for 25 minutes, if there is no objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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