FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Isakson Praises Introduction of Bipartisan Mine Safety Legislation
Meets with Families of Miners Killed in Jan. 2 Explosion in West Virginia

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today praised the introduction of a landmark reform bill to improve mine safety and regulation and reduce safety risks for miners across the country. Isakson chairs the Senate subcommittee that has jurisdiction over mine safety, and he is an original co-sponsor of the legislation that was introduced today.

The first markup on the legislation is scheduled for Wednesday, May 17, before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The HELP Committee, on which Isakson sits, is expected to pass the bill onto the full Senate.

“Since our trip to West Virginia four months ago, it has been my honor and pleasure to work with a tremendous bipartisan group of Senators on the numerous issues surrounding mine safety.  This bill is the product of months of hearings, in-depth research and intense discussions about how to make mines across the country safer,” Isakson said. “I am proud to introduce this bill with Senators Enzi, Kennedy, Murray, Byrd and Rockefeller, and I feel confident it will make mines across the country safer so we can avoid another tragedy such as the one that occurred in January at Sago Mine.”

Isakson also met today with several of the families of the 12 miners killed in the Jan. 2 explosion at Sago Mine. Isakson reiterated his commitment to them to improve mine safety.  

“These families are an inspiration, and I assured them today that the legacy of this tragedy will be that we heed the lessons we have learned so that lives are not lost in the future,” Isakson said.

Isakson had met the families once before on a trip to West Virginia with Senators Enzi, Kennedy and Rockefeller shortly after the disaster.  On that trip, the senators listened to the grieving family members for more than two hours while they shared their pain, their grief and their frustration.  The family of George Junior Hamner gave Isakson a picture of their beloved husband and father, and Isakson has carried the photo with him ever since that trip.

Today’s legislation will establish a competitive grant program for new mine safety technology, require each mines’ emergency response plan to be continuously reviewed and updated and re-certified every six months and raise the criminal penalty cap as well as the maximum civil penalty for flagrant violations.  It also establishes a grant program for manufacturers to develop new and better mine safety technology and ensures that mine rescue teams will be well-trained and available in the event of emergencies. 

In February, Isakson hosted a roundtable discussion on the latest technologies that could make miners safer on the job, including oxygen supplies and underground-to-surface communications.

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