Cord Byrd: “it has been 36 days since 12 coal miners perished at the Sago Mine in Upshur County, WV. One died from the explosion…”

“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.…”