Political Quotes

“I join my colleagues in expressing my sorrow to the families of West Virginia for the coal miners who were lost in that disaster. Illinois is a coal mining State. Throughout our history we have had terrible mine disasters and the loss of life. I hope we can not only bring them consolation but that we can learn from this disaster. When we find that only a small portion of the fines that have been imposed on coal companies for safety violations have been paid, it clearly calls for a much more aggressive approach by our Federal Government and the agencies that are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the safety of these coal miners. We can do better. One of the saddest comments, but I am afraid true comments, came from my colleague Senator Jay Rockefeller, who said these tragedies are likely to occur again no matter how much we do. Congressman Nick Rahall said: unfortunately, reform, when it comes to coal mine safety, is written in the blood of dead coal miners. But let us use their lives as an inspiration to do a better job of writing the laws and enforcing the laws so that the men and women who work in this perilous trade have the protection of their government.”