[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5319-5320]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SYMPATHIES TO THE UPPER BIG BRANCH MINERS

  (Mrs. CAPITO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my deepest 
sympathies to the 29 victims of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion, 
their families, loved ones, and their community. Last Monday's tragedy 
occurred in Montcoal, West Virginia, and it was the worst mine disaster 
in over 40 years. It has been gut-wrenching for our entire State.
  In the wake of this horrific tragedy, the citizens of West Virginia, 
including our outstanding emergency and rescue workers, and our 
Governor, pulled together to support the communities and families 
devastated by this explosion. As we grieve this loss of life, we must 
also honor the victims of the accident by taking the appropriate steps 
to ensure that this never happens again. Never again in West Virginia 
or in any other State can we let safety slip through the cracks. We 
will not let this happen again.
  Now is the time to band together and do everything we can to protect 
our

[[Page 5320]]

citizens. I hope you will join me in praising our miners for the 
difficult and dangerous work that they do, and I ask that you keep all 
of the workers, their families, and their communities in your thoughts 
and prayers.

                          ____________________