U.S. Reps. Miller and Woolsey Statement on Utah Mine Collapse

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), the chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, issued the following statement this afternoon on the collapse at the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah. The Education and Labor Committee has jurisdiction over worker safety issues and the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the six trapped miners and their families. We hope the miners are brought safely out of the mine.

“The families of the six trapped miners are deeply worried about the welfare of their loved ones. They need and have a right to the most credible, objective, and up-to-date information available about the status of the rescue effort. So does the public. Following the Sago disaster, during which miners’ families received incorrect information, the Congress made it the primary responsibility of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration to provide the families and members of the news media with the most accurate possible information. The news conference held this morning at the mine did not meet this standard. U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao must ensure that additional public communications regarding the rescue activities at the Crandall Canyon Mine are conducted by MSHA in order to ensure that the families and the public receive accurate information in a timely and responsible manner.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Kiley / Rachel Racusen
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-226-0853