Mine Safety Enforcement, Reporting, and Training Act
Mr. President, I rise today to
introduce the Mine Safety Enforcement, Reporting, and Training Act.
This bill will raise the minimum fine for safety violations from $60 to
$500, require coal mine operators to pay fines up front, require a
public yearly report of fine payments, and double funding for education
and training grants to States from $10 million to $20 million.
The recent tragic events in West Virginia and Kentucky have captured
the Nation's attention and exposed the serious dangers our miners face
every day. Safety violations often result in injuries that cost miners
their health, livelihood or lives. Safety inspectors have advised me
that the fines need to be tougher when a company violates our safety
laws and that we need to put more resources into training inspectors.
The vast majority of fines issued in 2005 were under $100.
Unfortunately, many multimillion dollar mining companies view these
fines no worse than a minor speeding ticket. Hopefully, raising the
minimum fine from $60 to $500 will prompt these companies to get
serious about making safety improvements.
Many coal
operators are taking advantage of the current system which allows them
to withhold payment of fines levied against them while negotiating to
reduce the amount of those fines. From 2001 to 2003, more than
two-thirds of all major fines were reduced from the original amount
imposed by safety inspectors from the Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA). MSHA reports that of the fines that are
appealed, the average reduction is 47 percent.
Moreover,
since 2001, almost half of all fines have not been collected. Federal
records also show that in the last two years the federal mine safety
agency has failed to hand over any delinquent cases to the Treasury
Department for further collection efforts, as is supposed to occur
after 180 days. I believe that a public report card of fine payments
gives us the chance to grade these companies and make necessary changes
before we have another tragic accident on our hands.
Over
the years, funding for education and training grants has steadily
declined--seriously impacting the agency's ability to meet the training
needs of individual States. Nationally, MSHA awards up to $10 million
in grants annually, and like many other states, my home state of
Illinois has witnessed a reduction in grants in the past ten years,
which is especially troublesome during a time of revived coal mining
activity. State regulating agencies, such as the Illinois Office of
Mines and Minerals, uses the funds it receives from MSHA to purchase
safety vehicles, rescue training equipment and to help train new coal
mine employees. Not only are state mine agencies unable to purchase new
equipment as old equipment wears out, but state agencies are having
trouble purchasing modern mine rescue training equipment.
I hope that my colleagues will join me in this effort to increase
enforcement efforts, public reporting of violations, and education and
training grants for the benefit of our coal miners across the country.
Our coal miners deserve no less.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.