Date: 2006-02-08
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. and Members of the House. I am honored to join in support of this resolution offered by our colleagues from West Virginia and to join our colleagues in paying tribute to these 16 brave miners who lost their lives last month in West Virginia. and also to the miner. who lost his life in Pike County. Kentucky. who died during the mine roof collapse. and to express the condolences to their families and to their friends who have lost loved ones. We continue to hope and pray for the full recovery of Randal McCloy who lived through this ordeal at the Sago mine disaster. and wish him well. I join. I am sure. our entire Nation in recognizing the sacrifice of these individuals. And I want to salute the efforts of dozens of brave rescue workers who volunteered to risk their own lives to save others and the efforts of citizens of the affected communities who continue to help apd to support the families of victims and to deal with their loss. Despite a. half century of improvements in mine safety. the truth still remains that underground mining continues to be one of our countrys most dangerous occupations. It is also an occupationthat we recognize many people would have a very difficult decision to make to join this occupation. It is one of the reasons we talk about the bravery. the courage. and the sacrifice of these workers and those who entered the mines after the disaster to join them. because wv recognize that many of us would not want to do this. But we also understand that just a week ago the President was here tell ing us the importance that coal would make if we really want to achieve energy independence for this Nation for a whole host of reasons that are very good for this Nation.- Then we continue to need to have the sacrifice and the courage and the bravery of the mining community and of these communities to send their young men and women into the mines. But if it is about their bravery and their courage and their sacrifice. then our obligation is to meet their bravery with the duty of care. There is no question that our progress in making mining a safer and healthier occupation than it has been -in the past has been remarkable. but the Sago tragedy shows us that our job is not done. Death. injuries. and serious illnesses remain a very real part of those who go down into the mines and. to their families and. their commu�nities and the brave men and women who help when the safeguards fail. The men and women who need the solid incomes provided by mining jobs face difficult choices every morning before they go to work and see their loved ones at the door. I think the way that we truly honor their courage. their sacrifice. and their bravery. and these miners who have lost their lives and the volunteers who helped out and the grieving families and the communities. is to make the promise. as the gentlewoman from West Virginia said. that part of their legacy is safer mines and a safer occupation and a safer future for their children and their grandchildren and others who will. go down into the mines. That means that we must meet our duty of care to these miners to make sure that we fully understand where the failures took place. where the improvements can bemade. and where the risk is. unacceptable.