[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11649]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   MINE IMPROVEMENT AND NEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACT OF 2006 (S. 2803)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 16, 2006

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, the recent tragedies of the 
Sago and Aracoma Alma mine disasters have been a difficult lesson in 
the efforts to improve mine safety regulations effectively and 
permanently. I rise today in strong support of long overdue coal miner 
safety legislation. Unfortunately, the Mine Improvement and New 
Emergency Response Act of 2006, S. 2803, while an improvement over 
current law, neglects to address three simple, much-needed reforms that 
could save lives.
  I cannot support the bill before us today because I support stronger 
improvements to miner safety--which have been supported by miners, 
miner families, and industry. This legislation would be made stronger 
with three additional requirements: Provision of no less than a 2-day 
supply of breathable air for trapped miners; Assurance that within 15 
months, communications and tracking devices will be available to find 
and communicate with trapped miners; regular inspections of miners' 
individual oxygen packs, known as self-contained self-rescuers, by the 
federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
  Congress can do better for working men and women by adopting these 
three provisions. In fact, since this bill passed the Senate, reports 
have indicated that these reforms could be easily implemented at very 
little cost. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership would not allow 
these simple and agreeable provisions to be offered as amendments to 
the bill.
  The Bush administration has failed to make miner safety a priority 
and instead has proposed budget cuts and deregulation. Despite six U.S. 
mine tragedies and more than 30 miners' deaths this year already, the 
President did not request funding for additional safety enforcement 
personnel in his Fiscal Year 2007 budget. This proposal is after years 
of budget cuts to the Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health 
Administration, MSHA, resulting in a decline of 170 full-time employees 
at MSHA and a decline of 217 employees in coal enforcement. In 
addition, President Bush has appointed former mining executives to the 
top political positions at the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
  I will continue to support efforts to implement stronger miner safety 
laws. I oppose this bill and urge my colleagues in joining with me to 
fight for stronger regulations that will save lives and to fight for 
our working men and women.

                          ____________________