On the recordMay 13, 2014
on Monday night a tragic mining incident occurred in my home State of West Virginia where the lives of two dedicated and courageous miners were lost at the Brody No. 1 mine in Boone County. My greatest and deepest thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the miners impacted by this tragedy. Gayle and I join them and all West Virginians in mourning the loss of these heroic men. We grieve for the entire community as they bear this most heartbreaking and sorrowful hardship. Our hearts especially go out to the families of the following miners: Eric Legg of Twilight and Gary Hensley of Chapmanville. These men will be remembered forever as heroes to their community, their State, and their Nation for their unparalleled courage and unsurpassable sacrifice. They will live on forever in our hearts. As families and friends struggle to deal with the tragedy that took place, we are reminded as a country that we must consistently search for ways to improve safety conditions because our miners' safety is of the utmost importance and remains our No. 1 priority. We say in West Virginia: If it can't be mined safely, don't mine it. Our coal miners are some of the hardest working people in America, and the loss of even one miner's life is one life too many. We need to continue to improve mine safety efforts so that our miners' lives are never in jeopardy. We owe this to the families of the victims and to all of our loyal mining families across our country.…
