Tuesday, January 31, 2006

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Prepared Statement
Hearing on the nominations of Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. and Richard Stickler
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

I am pleased to welcome Mr. Richard Stickler and Mr. Edwin Foulke to today’s hearing. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, I am eager to work with both of you upon your confirmations.

I come to this hearing today with a heavy heart. It was just a few days ago that I joined the Chairman and Ranking Member of this Committee, as well as Senator Jay Rockefeller on a visit to Upshur County, West Virginia. It was, to say the very least, one of the most moving experiences of my life. Before we left, Senator Rockefeller, my good friend and colleague, told me I’d feel right at home with the people of his state. Indeed I did. I was honored and humbled to join my colleagues in speaking to the devoted families of the miners who perished in the Sago Mine tragedy. We listened intently for over two hours while these brave men and women shared their pain, their grief, and their frustration. But they also shared a hope. Their hope was that future miners will never suffer like their loved ones did, sitting in the dark, slowly suffocating to death on poisonous gases. One family even gave me a picture of one of the deceased miners, which I will keep with me as a constant reminder of our mission to ensure miners’ safety.

The trip, however, was every bit as educational as it was emotional. We heard of the need for better communications between miners and those on the surface. We learned of the possibility that technology will allow miners to carry more oxygen in case of emergency. We discussed ways that mine rescue teams could be on the scene at mine emergencies more expediently.

All of these are important points of discussion, and I plan to work with the Chairman, Ranking Member and all the Members of this Committee on ways we can be a catalyst for positive change in the area of mine safety.

Mr. Stickler comes to us with a long and distinguished history of working to ensure the safety of mines. For over 30 years, Mr. Stickler has worked deep in the mines of Appalachia. During that time, he has held a number of positions including manager, superintendent and shift foreman. More recently, he spent six years as director of Pennsylvania's Bureau of Deep Mine Safety. Note I said he worked in the mines… not in an office in New York or Philadelphia. Mr. Stickler is a man who for most of his adult life has wiped the coal dust off his boots every night. This is the man we need leading the Mine Safety and Health Administration

If and when confirmed, Mr. Stickler will head an active, effective, and well-funded federal agency. Total MSHA funding under this Administration is consistently higher than it was under the previous Administration. During the fiscal years 1996-2000, MSHA funding averaged about $208 million. The Bush Administration, working closely with Congress, has increased that figure to an average of $266 million a year during fiscal years 2001-2006.

Moreover, funding for coal mine administration alone is up to an average of $115 million per fiscal year under the Bush Administration versus $107 million per fiscal year under the previous administration.

Importantly, the number and nature of mines is constantly changing, and MSHA must reflect this reality by continually shifting funds between coal, metal, and non-metal mines. Last year’s figure of $140,000 MSHA-spent dollars per coal mine is by far the highest in history. The same figure for 1996 is $72,000, revealing that MSHA spending per coal mine has nearly doubled over the past 10 years.

Enforcement of mine safety standards in this Administration is strong and getting stronger. In 2004, the last year of available statistics, MSHA imposed $8,453 of fines per mine, compared to only $5,649 at the end of the previous Administration. Today, an MSHA enforcement staffer oversees only 3.39 mines, compared to an average of 3.8 mines during the previous Administration. Clearly, this agency is active and fully engaged in the ongoing struggle to make our makes safe.

This commitment of federal resources, combined with intensive efforts by the mining industry to continually enhance mine safety, resulted in 2005 being the safest year in the history of American coal mining. Since the turn of the century, coal mine fatalities have dropped 42 percent, and the number of coal mine injuries has dropped 22 percent. Over the same time period, fatalities at all mines, including metal and non-metal mines, has dropped 33 percent, with injuries dropping 25 percent.

Just as we must examine MSHA funding and MSHA enforcement in terms of per mine expenditures, a more true analysis of mine safety requires noting the number of fatalities and injuries per mine. These data, too, are promising. Since 2001, the number of coal mine fatalities per 1000 mines has been nearly cut in half, from 19.6 to 11.1. Rather than deliberating over how many office staff MSHA should have here in Washington, it is imperative we focus on these real safety results that are so crucial to miners’ health and well-being.

Obviously, however, the recent tragedies remind us that there is never enough that Congress, MSHA, or the mining industry can do to ensure the safety of miners. I have met with Mr. Stickler, and I know he understands this. I congratulate him on his nomination and look forward to working with him in ensuring the safety of miners nationwide.