BILL ARCHER
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
Just nine days after he took the oath of office to complete the final term of the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, U.S. Senator Carte Goodwin, D-W.Va., joined with (now) senior U.S. Senator John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., in introducing a bill named for Goodwin’s predecessor, and aimed at honoring the victims of the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion on April 5.
Prior to Byrd’s death, Rockefeller worked with his late colleague to develop the initial elements of the “Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2010,” according to a press release issued by Rockefeller’s office.
“Even as the investigation into the Upper Big Branch mine continues to move forward, we owe it to the families and to the miners that still get up and go to work each day to find real solutions — fixing the process for safety enforcement at mines with repeated violations, providing (the Mine Safety and Health Administration) with strong safety tools and holding them more accountable, and protecting our dedicated miners who speak up when they know safety measures aren’t being handled correctly,” Rockefeller was quoted as stating in the press release.
During a telephone interview Thursday afternoon from his office in Washington, Goodwin expressed pride in joining with Rockefeller to introduce the significant legislation that is designed to strengthen mine safety laws. He expressed pride in being able to work with Rockefeller on the
“I know there is no way I could ever fill Senator Byrd’s shoes,” Goodwin said. “We think of Senator Byrd as a hero at home in West Virginia, but he is a giant American hero. He served in Congress nearly one-quarter of the time that there has been a U.S. Congress.”
Along with pledging to strengthen safety standards for coal miners and working to ensure that federal agencies have the resources they need to enforce the laws currently in place, Goodwin vowed to work as hard as he can to serve the people of West Virginia.
“All I can do is work as hard as I can to understand every single issue to serve the people of West Virginia,” he said. “I will be as studious as I can, listen to all sides and make an informed decision on every issue.”
In the press release, Rockefeller expressed the significance of the Byrd Mine Safety Bill. “I’ve fought my entire career to make sure that hard working Americans can go to jobs without fearing for their safety and I will not stop until this is a reality,” Rockefeller was quoted as stating in the press release.
– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
