Published April 2010 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's Eye View By U.S Senator Robert C. Byrd GOD BLESS OUR MINERS I am the son of a coal miner who married a coal miner's daughter, and I feel a special, familial relationship with our state's coal miners. I know about the grueling work that they do, the hardships they endure, and how they risk their safety every day to produce the energy that powers our country. Tragedies such as the explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine- South in Raleigh County on April 5, are an outrage. I mourn the loss of life. I am saddened when I think of the wives who will now face tomorrow without husbands, and the children who will grow up without fathers. I firmly believe that such a terrible loss of life in the mines can be avoided. Growing up in the southern West Virginia coal fields, I saw the bodies of too many coal diggers pulled from the coal mines after an explosion. I helped carry the coffins of too many miners who perished in mine accidents. To this day I carry the memory of the faces of their grieving widows and children. I have worked to improve the health and safety conditions of the men and women who work in our nation's coal mines. I have sponsored and supported legislation to expand and improve federal mine safety laws. I am especially proud of my role in the formulation and passage of the groundbreaking, landmark Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 which was enacted following the explosion at Farmington #9 that took the lives of 78 of our fellow West Virginians. This is the most comprehensive legislation covering the mining industry in history, and to this day, the strongest worker protection law in the world. But clearly more is needed. Following the Sago mine disaster of 2006, which took the lives of 11 miners, I helped formulate and Congress approved the MINER Act which provided for post-accident emergency response. This and other pieces of legislation and increased funding resources should mean that tragedies on the scale of Upper Big Branch Mine-South no longer happen. Once investigations are completed and we learn the cause of this disaster, action must be taken. But, laws only work if they are enforced. There must be stronger enforcement. Companies with dismal safety records and multiple violations must be punished. Companies with exemplary safety records should be rewarded for their efforts. And attitudes have to change. The coal in our mountains belongs to the people of West Virginia. It is our birthright and our sons and daughters work hard to mine it. West Virginians must never feel beholden to a coal company. If a mining company disregards the safety of our miners, that company should not continue to enjoy the fruits of our citizens' labor or the profits from our "black gold." Make no mistake about it. Many other responsible companies will be lining up for the privilege of working in West Virginia. April 14, 2010