Others were less optimistic about the effects of the new law. Indeed, Mr. Orr feared that some mining companies would go out of business. It's sure to be broke before long. He vowed to fight the new legislation in the courts, if necessary. I can't stand by and watch Congress run it into the ground.
Some miners share the senator's concern.
If the cost of operating a mine increases, they fear the difference will come out of their wages. We just hope it won't work out that way. What the future holds for miners will in large part be determined in the week to come. Congress will have to take a stand on issues of labor and industry yet again next week, when debate is scheduled to begin on a pair of far-reaching cuts in miners' benefits and railroad workers' pensions. Front page of News of the Nation for October 25, 1996.