Bayh Calls for Congressional Hearings on Mine Safety

Senator Bayh should be returning from his trip to the Middle East today. However even while he is overseas, the Senator still has domestic issues on his mind. He issued the following press release today:

Washington, D.C. - In the wake of the recent tragedy at Sago Mine, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh called for congressional hearings to examine the safety of the nation’s coal mines. In a bipartisan letter written to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee, Bayh and twelve other senators from coal-mining states requested oversight hearings on the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). No such hearings on the MSHA, which is responsible for ensuring mine safety, have been held in the last five years. Over the past 12 years, 471 coal miners have been killed in mines.