H.R. 5663, the Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010Democrats Rush to Legislate Without All the Facts, Dilute Focus on Mine Safety to Ratchet Up Workplace Litigation
WASHINGTON, D.C.,
July 21, 2010
On April 5, 2010, a massive underground explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, West Virginia tragically took the lives of 29 miners. Immediately, Congress recognized changes were needed to protect underground coal miners – toughening and modernizing mine safety laws, and holding federal regulators and inspectors accountable for enforcing those laws. Democrats Put Speed Ahead of Safety Members on both sides of the aisle recognize the need for reform and stronger enforcement in the wake of the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine and other recent underground mining tragedies. Members cannot legislate responsibly without all the facts, yet Democrats are moving full-speed ahead without vital information.
By rushing to legislate before these investigations are complete, Democrats are preparing to pass a mining bill without knowing the cause of the worst mining tragedy in four decades, and without understanding what steps must be taken to ensure effective enforcement by a federal agency known to be falling short. Democrats Dilute the Focus on Mine Safety Instead of focusing on mine safety, Democrats have weighed their legislation down with sweeping changes to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act that will do nothing for miners working underground. In fact, these so-called workplace safety reforms do nothing at all to help employers make their workplaces safer. The Democrats’ bill devotes far more attention to punitive measures and legal hurdles than proactive steps to prevent mining and other workplace injuries and fatalities. The changes to the OSH Act in particular will drive up costs and create legal hurdles for job-creators, making it more difficult to put Americans back to work at a time when our economy desperately needs new jobs. Among the most troubling provisions of H.R. 5663:
The GOP Alternative: Making Mines Safer. Period. Republicans support mine safety. That means reducing risks underground and holding both industry and federal authorities accountable for following and enforcing the law. Republicans believe we cannot fully respond to the Upper Big Branch mining tragedy until state and federal investigations are complete. While those investigations continue, Republicans have identified three preliminary areas for reform. Those are: Empowering MSHA and Holding the Agency Accountable
Identifying and Punishing Bad Actors
Modernizing Mine Safety Standards
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