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IMPROVING MINE SAFETY

Promoting Mine Safety; Oversight of the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA)

 

Following the January 2006 tragedy at the Sago, West Virginia mine, Education & the Workforce Committee Republicans launched an unprecedented series of hearings and briefings on the state of U.S. mine health and safety.  That series – led by Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Charlie Norwood (R-GA) – pointed to a clear need for better communications technology, modernized safety practices inside our nation’s mines, and strengthening the enforcement of mine safety laws already on the books. 

 

Because of those thorough hearings and briefings, Congress has taken major steps toward modernizing mine health and safety laws for the first time in a generation.  Meanwhile, Committee Republicans remain dedicated to discovering meaningful facts about the mine tragedies that have taken place during 2006 and the safety of American mines overall.

 

Issue Brief: Improving Mine Safety and Reforming MSHA

Press Statements:

• President Signs Landmark Mine Safety Reforms - June 15, 2006

• Comprehensive Mine Safety Bill Heads to President's Desk - June 7, 2006

• McKeon Renews Call for Swift House Passage of Comprehensive Mine Safety Bill - June 2, 2006

• McKeon Calls on Miller to End Opposition to House Passage of Senate Mine Safety Legislation - May 25, 2006

• West Virginia Delegation Testifies at U.S. House Hearing on Mine Safety - March 16, 2006

• Workforce Protections Subcommittee Hears Testimony on Mine Safety - March 1, 2006

• In Response to House Republican Request, Labor Department Makes Key Policy Change Impacting Mine Investigations - January 31, 2006

• Joint Statement from Boehner, Norwood on the Federal Investigation into Sago Mine Tragedy - January 4, 2006

Fact Sheets:

• Reforming Mine Safety Laws for the First Time in a Generation - June 6, 2006
• Discovering Meaningful Facts About Mine Safety - March 1, 2006

Dear Colleagues:

• Separating Myth from Fact: Don't Be Distracted by Attempts to Obscure Mine Safety Reform - June 7, 2006
• Support the First Comprehensive Reforms to Mine Safety Laws in a Generation - June 6, 2006

Committee Hearings and Markups:

• On March 16, 2006, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing on "Mine Safety and Health: A Congressional Perspective” - Opening Statements and Witness Testimony

• On March 1, 2006, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing on "Evaluating Health and Safety Regulations in the American Mining Industry" - Opening Statements and Witness Testimony

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