Jay Rockefeller: “amendment No. 3045 is very simple but it could make a life or death difference to miners who work in one of the most…”

“amendment No. 3045 is very simple but it could make a life or death difference to miners who work in one of the most dangerous occupations in America. This amendment would require the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, to review current staffing levels of mine inspectors, and considering current needs and expected retirements, to hire and train as many new mine inspectors as are needed to maintain proper safety in coal mines. The Secretary is to maintain the number of mine inspectors at a level no lower than current levels. When filing these positions, my amendment encourages the Secretary of Labor to give consideration to experienced miners or mine engineers. Coal miners are dying in alarming numbers in accidents that might be prevented if more mine inspectors were on the job. Coal mine fatalities increased in 2001 for the third year in a row. Forty-two miners died in mine accidents in the United States. Forty-two miners lost their lives. This is the most since 1995. Already in 2002, eight miners have died in American coal mines. Improved technology is increasing the productivity of our mines. We should also be seeing improvements in mine safety, not a rising death toll. Two of the miners who have died this year were West Virginians.”