Giannoulias Meets with Illinois Miners to Discuss Ideas for Better Safety and Prevention

Press Release

State Treasurer and U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias today traveled to Illinois' coal country to visit with mine workers and elected leaders to discuss his proposals to increase mine safety and protect workers. Lax oversight and regulatory loopholes, coupled with an aggressive corporate culture that puts profits ahead of worker safety, have all been cited in the wake of the Upper Big Branch mine tragedy, where 29 miners lost their lives in an underground explosion earlier this month in Montcoal, WV. Giannoulias' plan will put safety first.

"The tragedy at the Upper Big Branch mine, where 29 men were lost, is compounded by the fact that their deaths may have been able to be prevented," Giannoulias said. "Like their fallen comrades, the men and women who work underground face a hard and dangerous workday, but they do so with pride and a desire to provide for their families. We owe it to them to make sure our laws and regulations are putting their well-being first, and that their safety is never compromised by corporate greed."

The Upper Big Branch mine, as well as others owned by the same company, Massey Energy Company, had a spotty safety record. Mining fatalities occur at a rate more than seven times the average for all private industries. Though it is inherently a dangerous and unhealthy profession, mining is also the economic lifeline for many rural communities, including in Illinois. Nearly half of U.S. energy comes from coal-fired power plants, and these mines provide the basic ingredient for those power generators.

While in Congress, Republican Congressman Mark Kirk has repeatedly voted against more stringent mine safety regulations.

"It's disappointing that Congressman Kirk would side with the interests of mining corporations and lobbyists and not miners," Giannoulias said. "My priority will always be to respect the work and safety of miners."

After the Sago Mine catastrophe took 12 lives in January 2006, Congressional Democrats introduced the S-MINER Act to address flaws in a weak bill President George W. Bush pushed through Congress that did not include necessary, more stringent safety and prevention regulations. Republican Congressman Mark Kirk voted against the S-MINER Act, which specifically addressed three broad issues: disaster prevention, improved emergency response, and long-term health risks.

While in Congress, Republican Congressman Mark Kirk has repeatedly voted against more stringent mine safety regulations. Kirk voted against the more comprehensive S-MINER Act in 2008, which passed the House with bipartisan support [HR2768, Vote 10, 1/16/08]. Kirk had multiple opportunities to vote for the bill and for strengthening it, but each time he sided with the corporate lobbyists who worked to kill the legislation. He voted against allowing the bill even to be considered, and against an amendment that expanded safety requirements for mining equipment and authorized $30 million for the Mine Safety and Health administration to buy new dust-monitoring devices [HRes918, Vote 2, 1/16/08; HR2768, Vote 5, 1/16/08]. In a related matter, Kirk voted against the Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act, which requires OSHA to regulate combustible dusts to protect workers in mining and other industries [HR5522, Vote 233, 4/30/08].

Giannoulias' mine safety proposals have 10 key components:

1. Require pumping of methane before a mine is used. Investigators believe that concentrated methane gas was behind the Upper Big Branch explosion. Congress should pass legislation requiring coal companies to pump out the methane gas before mining a coal deposit.
2. Require testing on faulty equipment. Congress should pass legislation requiring more accurate testing to determine the flammability of conveyor belts and other mine equipment, which make up the most common causes of mine fires.
3. Prevent coal-dust explosions. Coal-dust is the clear cause of many of the largest mine disasters in U.S. history - a 2006 study identified 281 fires and explosions that killed 119 workers and injured 718 others. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration should develop a comprehensive regulatory standard designed to prevent dust explosions.
4. Give regulators the power to stop production if the company fails to address safety violations. Congress should provide the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) with subpoena authority and give officials the power to stop production at a mine if a company fails to address violations in a timely manner.
5. Deal with the backlog of cases. The backlog of cases at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission has soared from 2,100 in 2006 to 16,600 today. Congress should appropriate funds to hire more Judges to help clear out the jam of disputed violations.
6. Improve training of inspectors. The 2006 MINER Act was an important step in addressing the urgent gaps in mine safety protections. The bill called for the hiring of hundreds of new inspectors; however, many have not been sufficiently trained. The MSHA should improve the training process.
7. Encourage whistleblowers. Congress should appropriate funds for the MSHA to hire miner ombudsmen to field whistleblower complaints.
8. Allow the MSHA to lead rescue efforts. Congress should pass legislation mandating that the MSHA take the lead on rescue efforts and provide funds to hire more family liaisons.
9. Eliminate black lung disease. The MSHA should publish a rule to further lower the permissible level of coal mine dust in an effort to finally eliminate this preventable disease which has killed 10,000 miners in the last decade.
10. Address water pollution. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data shows that high levels of toxicity in water downstream from mining operations in Kentucky and West Virginia persist. The EPA should require more special toxicity testing by mining operators to help identify water pollution.

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