John Kline: “today I rise in favor of mine safety but in strong opposition to the S-MINER Act. Unfortunately, the bill as written…”

“today I rise in favor of mine safety but in strong opposition to the S-MINER Act. Unfortunately, the bill as written does little to improve safety in our Nation's mines. As someone who voted for the MINER Act, I am concerned that this legislation derails much of what has already been achieved. I appreciate that there is concern about the speed of implementation, but the answer is not to call a halt to the work that has already been done and completely turn direction. We have heard from mine engineering academics that this bill is flawed. We have heard from over 28 industry groups that this bill interrupts the progress being made in mine safety, while the Mine Safety and Health Administration's opinion has been dismissed by the other side, apparently until today, when we are going to turn over to MSHA the issue of drug testing. The President has issued a veto threat citing safety concerns. The statement of administration policy specifically states, "The requirement to use boreholes to sample behind mine seals weakens existing safety standards since boreholes have metal casings that could introduce an ignition source, such as lightning, into an area of the mine that may contain explosive methane.”