20/05/2010 at 02:00PM
“The entire nation mourned the recent loss of 29 miners at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia. As Chairman of the HELP Committee, I am examining possible legislation that would make a number of policy changes in the area of mine safety. But additional Federal appropriations are also needed to help prevent similar disasters, particularly when it comes to reducing the backlog of appeals at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission,” said Harkin. “Senator Byrd requested this important hearing and I am happy to examine this critical area.”
“I would like to thank Chairman Harkin, a fellow son of a coal miner, for agreeing to hold this very important hearing at my request,” added Byrd. “This is a good beginning to a process that I hope will lead to substantial and long-overdue changes. We must examine the level of resources allocated to our mine regulatory agencies to ensure that, in this day and age, tragedies like the one at Upper Big Branch mine are prevented in the future.”
Witnesses
Panel I
- Joseph A. Main, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, U. S. Department of Labor
- M. Patricia Smith, Solicitor of Labor, U. S. Department of Labor
- John Howard, M.D., Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Mary Lu Jordan, Chairman, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
Panel II
- Don L. Blankenship, Chairman and CEO, Massey Energy Company, Richmond, Virginia
- Cecil Roberts, International President, United Mine Workers of America, Fairfax, Virginia