Nick Rahall: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman George Miller. Mr. Speaker, last week, on Monday, April 5, an explosion tore through the Upper…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman George Miller. Mr. Speaker, last week, on Monday, April 5, an explosion tore through the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh, West Virginia, taking the lives of 29 good, hardworking men. It was the repeat of a recurring nightmare that has haunted the coalfields of our Nation for generations, and it is a tragedy that never should have occurred. Immediately upon receiving news of the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, I rushed to the scene to be with the families. For me, it was, unfortunately, not an unfamiliar circumstance. I have spent too many anxious hours within the aftermath of mine accidents in the midst of family and friends, of coworkers and survivors, awaiting word. The watching, hoping and praying for survivors to emerge from the darkness into the arms of their loved ones is a heart-wrenching exercise, but being surrounded by such warmth and love, generosity and faith is heartwarming at the same time. The people of coal mining communities, in particular those of southern West Virginia, are a special breed. Generations of these families go into our mines. For so many of these miners, it is not a job; it is a calling. They live with the knowledge that there is risk, but they are proud to take that risk to labor in the company of good and loyal friends, to earn an honest paycheck in order to provide for their families and for themselves. The miners at Upper Big Branch were just such men.”