On the recordApril 14, 2010
It is with the deepest sadness that I offer my condolences to the families of the 29 brave mineworkers who perished on April 5, 2010. I have been holding these families in my thoughts and my prayers. For those of us representing Appalachia, this news is particularly saddening. The history of our region will forever be linked to the mining of coal, a connection for which I hold great pride. For generations, residents of my district have fed their families from work in these mines, as they will for generations to come. The loss of a miner is the loss of a brother and a friend. This loss cuts deep into the soul of our Appalachian towns and communities. The deaths of these miners must not be in vain--we must take lessons from this tragedy to create a better future for mineworkers everywhere. The mineworkers of Appalachia deserve to go to work each day with peace of mind that their workplace is safe. Events like those that transpired earlier this month shake that trust, and we must determine the cause of the event if we are to properly ensure their future safety and to ensure the strength of the coal mining industry. While we are truly blessed to live in a country bestowed with great resources, we hold a responsibility to protect those who risk life and limb to harvest them in the name of a greater, stronger nation. The strength of our Nation is a reflection of how we treat these soldiers of the coal mines, and we all must work to ensure their safety.
