Coal Industry Asks Congress to Slow Down

Eastern mining states say federal, state governments need more cooperation.

Representatives from nine eastern coal-producing states met with members of Congress July 26 and issued what boiled down to a simple message — slow down.

Even the U.S Mine Safety and Health Administration asked federal lawmakers to reconsider new mine safety regulations before making them official.

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering the Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2007, also known as the S-MINER Act (HR2768), and the Mine Health Enhancement Act of 2007 (HR2769).
HR2768 was introduced June 19 by U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., along with Reps. Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan, both D-W.Va., and several others.

Miller is chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and its Subcommittee on Workforce Protections met July 26 to conduct the first public hearing on the two bills. Republicans and the coal industry had requested the hearing.

Representatives from the United Mine Workers of America and MSHA testified before the committee. The coal-mining states did not have a chance to provide oral testimony, but they were able to submit comments for the subcommittee’s consideration.

The eastern coal states said in their comments that the proposed bills were “fraught with technological impracticalities, unachievable expectations, unrealistic timelines and are the product of unilateral, partisan rule-making.”

The State Journal