Major overhaul of Miner Act

— The following is an edited version of a speech presented by United States President George W. Bush on June 15, 2006, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.

I am signing into law the most sweeping overhaul of federal mine safety law in nearly three decades. The Miner Act of 2006 has strong support of mine workers and the mining industry, and it was overwhelmingly passed by Congress.

I want to thank the governors from three important coal mining states, Joe Manchin (of West Virginia), Ernie Fletcher (Kentucky), and Ed Rendell (Pennsylvania), for joining us here. I was struck by how the governors handled the tragedies of the recent mine incidents. I thought they were able to convey a deep sense of compassion.

The hard work of American miners provides us with really important fuel. Coal is a significant part of our nation’s present and future.

Thanks to modern technology and equipment, we’ve come a long way from the days when a miner would take a canary into the coal mines. And since the passage of the Mine Safety and Health Act in 1977, America has seen significant decreases of injuries and fatal mining accidents.

Yet events in recent months have reminded us that mining is dangerous. This year alone, accidents have taken the lives of 33 miners in our country. Just last month, five miners were killed in a mine explosion in Harlan Cty., Ken. And in January, 13 miners were trapped underground by the explosion in the Sago mine in West Virginia. Only one man came out, and he’s with us today — Randal McCloy.

We honour the memory of all lost miners today; that’s what we’re doing signing this bill. We make this promise to American miners and their families: We’ll do everything possible to prevent mine accidents.

The Miner Act will build on the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s efforts to enhance mine safety training, to improve safety and communications technology for miners, and provide more emergency supplies of breathable air along escape routes.

This new legislation will require mine operators to report any life-threatening accident no later than 15 minutes after they know that one has occurred. And to ensure compliance with the law, the Miner Act will increase the maximum penalty for flagrant violations of mine safety regulations nearly four-fold.

To implement this new legislation, we need effective and experienced leadership at the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Last month, I nominated Richard Stickler of the state of West Virginia to be the head of MSHA. He served for six years as the director of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Deep Mine Safety. He was a miner, mine shift foreman, a superintendent, and a manager.

America’s miners work hard every day to support their families and support this country. They deserve the best training, the best equipment and safeguards that we can provide. And this legislation I’m signing today is an important part of honouring that commitment.