FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Isakson Praises Passage of Bipartisan Mine Safety Legislation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today praised the Senate’s unanimous passage 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.

“Since my trip to West Virginia four months ago, I have been working with a 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 pleased the Senate passed this bill so quickly. I feel confident it will make mines across the country safer so we can avoid another tragedy such as the ones that occurred in January at Sago Mine and in Holmes Mill, Kentucky last weekend.”

Isakson also met last week 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 have assured them 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.

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.

In January Isakson met with the families of the 12 miners killed in the Jan. 2 explosion at Sago Mine in West Virginia, toured the exterior of the mine and spoke with officials from the International Coal Group as part of a Senate delegation examining the incident.

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