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Washington, D.C. – Even though Senators had raised serious doubts about Richard Stickler, the nominee to be Director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), President Bush today circumvented the Senate by recess appointing Stickler. Following that appointment, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), who helped craft this year’s MINER Act -- the most significant mine safety legislation in a decade -- issued the following reaction:

“President Bush today has essentially said that the safety of our miners in West Virginia and across the country is a not a priority. Over the course of the last year, U.S. Senators from Coal States across the country have said that Richard Stickler is not the right person to carry out this absolutely critical job. The mines he ran when he was in the industry were some of the most dangerous and most frequently cited for safety violations in the entire industry.  His mines had a rate of preventable accidents that was as much as three times the national average. In fact, despite broad bipartisan support for new, more aggressive mine safety laws, Richard Stickler said in his Senate nomination hearing that no new laws were necessary.

“The MINER Act we passed earlier this year was the right first step toward protecting our miners. But the appointment of Richard Stickler today to enforce and carry out that law is the decidedly wrong decision.”

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