1071 Hon. Nick J. Rahall Ii Hon. Peter J. Visclosky Hon. Lois
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
January 19, 1999 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 1071 flooding to mine officials who ordered evacu- sive legislation to reform the Mining Law of In 1943, James Holland graduated from ation of all adjoining shafts. 1872. I am pleased to note that the distin- Rock Island High School in Illinois. After earn- Thirty-three of the miners quickly escaped guished gentleman from California, GEORGE ing a Bachelor of Science degree in Education the churning waters as the river took over the MILLER, and PETER DEFAZIO of Oregon are from Northwestern University in 1950, he con- mine, but forty-five men remained trapped joining me in introducing this measure. tinued his education at Valparaiso University, below as the river swirled into the breach. Some may view the introduction of this leg- completing a Master’s degree in Liberal Stud- Thirty-three miners eventually made their way islation as a exercise in futility. They are those ies. From 1951 through 1968, he taught up an abandoned air shaft located a few hun- who benefit from the production of valuable twelfth grade Government and Economics in dred feet upriver from the breach. Twelve men hardrock minerals from certain federal lands Gary. In 1968, Mr. Holland became the execu- remained missing. without payment of either rent or royalty to the tive for the City of Gary Model Cities Program. Mr. Speaker, hope for these twelve brave American public. They are those who benefit Subsequently, as Principal Associate of Ja- miners endured for several days as family from the hodgepodge of minimal regulation cobs Company, he authored administrative members kept vigil on the river bank. Eventu- governing the reclamation of these lands and manuals that became the national standard for ally, methane gas began to flow from the mine the lack of suitable environmental safeguards the Model Cities Program. Mr. Holland devised and the officials had no choice but to end the to protect the American public. Yet others, oth- and established basic Model Cities structures rescue attempt. Each of the survivors had his ers view the introduction of this measure as a for 15 cities, which led to lengthy on-site story of escape and told the stories of those ray of hope. They are those who are con- consultancies in major United States cities. In who did not. cerned that in the last year of the 20th Cen- 1980, he was one of twenty Fellows selected For sixty-four hours after the disaster, the tury the United States still actually allows mul- annually from hundreds of nominees to attend river poured more than two and a half million tinational conglomerates to mine gold, silver the Harvard University Fellow Program for gallons of water into the shafts each minute. and copper from our federal lands for free. Senior Executives. Additionally, he served as The cave-in allowed more than ten billion gal- They are those, countless citizens, who live in Deputy Mayor of the City of Gary from 1976 lons of river water to surge underground. For the vicinity of these operations, who must con- through 1988. As Deputy Mayor, he super- three days, crews pushed, pulled, and hoisted tend with maimed landscapes and polluted vised 38 department heads and administered fifty ton railroad cars into the void. They added streams. And all of us must wonder, is this the an over $40 million annual budget, as well as four hundred one-ton coal cars and at least type of legacy we wish to leave to future gen- over $100 million in federal programs. twenty-five thousand cubic yards of dirt and erations? Mr. Holland has dedicated a substantial por- rocks. Finally, the giant hole was plugged. The Mining Law of 1872 today is an anach- tion of his life to the betterment of Northwest Pumping began to save the other shafts and ronism that will not die. Enacted in an era Indiana, especially the transportation systems search teams were dispatched to look for bod- when the policy of the United States was to of Gary, Indiana. ies. populate the West partially by making free After 10 years of dedicated service, Mr. Hol- Mr. Speaker, the Knox Mine Disaster was land and free minerals available to those who land is retiring as President of Gary Intercity the beginning of the end of anthracite coal would brave an unsettled and wild region, it Lines and General Manager of the Gary Public mining in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Officials has resisted substantial reform despite count- Transportation Corporation. Under his man- eventually discovered the company had ille- less attempts to modernize it and make it re- agement, Gary Public Transportation Corpora- gally dug beneath the river bed which ex- sponsible to more current policies governing tion has won numerous safety awards and tended far beyond legal mining boundaries. the management of our public domain. other awards from the Indiana Transit Asso- No proper surveying had been done and al- The bill we are introducing today is the very ciation and the American Public Transportation though industry standard was thirty-five feet of same which passed the House of Representa- Association. Additionally, Mr. Holland has rock cover, the miners had followed company tives by a three-to-one margin during the served on numerous transportation commit- orders and quarried up to a mere six feet 103rd Congress. Reintroduced during the tees. Mr. Holland was Chairman of the North- below the river. Knox Coal Company had ig- 104th and 105th Congresses, it was held hos- west Indiana Regional Planning Commission, nored orders from federal inspectors to cease tage by the Resources Committee. Even as well as a past member of the Executive operations. Several company officials were in- under A Republican majority, I remain con- Board of the Northwest Indiana General As- dicted. Although deep mining continued in the vinced that if allowed to proceed to the House sembly Study Commission on State Transpor- Northeast into the 1970’s, the high cost of re- floor, this bill or something similar to it would tation. sulting new safety regulations coupled with de- pass the full House of Representatives. On this special day, I offer my heartfelt con- clining demand eventually ended deep mining The issue of insuring a fair return to the gratulations. Mr. Holland’s large circle of family in the northern coal field. public in exchange for the disposition of public and friends can be proud of the contributions Mr. Speaker, the Knox Mine Disaster is a resources, and the issue of properly managing this prominent individual has made. His excep- turning point in the history of Northeastern our public domain lands, is neither Republican tional work in the transportation sector of Pennsylvania. The image of the grieving fami- or Democrat. It is simply one that makes Northwest Indiana will be greatly missed. For- lies huddled along the banks of the river, ex- sense it we are to be good stewards of the tunately, the community as a whole will con- hausted survivors climbing out of the earth public domain and meet our responsibilities to tinue to profit from his unselfish involvement to and huge train cars being heaved into the the American people. This means that the make Northwest Indiana a better place in whirlpool is still fresh in the minds of most of Mining law of 1872 must be reformed. which to live and work. I sincerely wish him a the area’s residents. The disaster is com- long, happy, healthy and productive retire- f memorated in the local press every year and ment. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will dedi- A TRIBUTE TO JAMES W. f cate a historical marker this year. I join with HOLLAND the families of both the victims and the sur- HONORING THE FIELDING vivors of this horrible disaster in commemo- HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY INSTITUTE rating their bravery and remembering their OF INDIANA sacrifice. HON. LOIS CAPPS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES f OF CALIFORNIA Tuesday, January 19, 1999 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REFORM OF THE MINING LAW OF 1872 Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it gives me Tuesday, January 19, 1999 great pleasure to pay tribute to an outstanding Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay trib- HON. NICK J. RAHALL II citizen of Indiana’s First Congressional District, ute to the Fielding Institute. James W. Holland. On Saturday, January 16, The Fielding Institute has been a leader in OF WEST VIRGINIA 1999, Mr. Holland, along with his friends and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES distance learning for mid-career professionals family, will celebrate his retirement and honor since it was founded in Santa Barbara, Cali- Tuesday, January 19, 1999 his five decades of public service. The cele- fornia in 1974. Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, today it is my bration will take place at Marquette-on-the-La- With the development of a revolutionary privilege to introduce, once again, comprehen- goon in Gary, Indiana. ‘‘Learning Community’’ concept that provides VerDate jul 14 2003 11:32 Sep 27, 2004 Jkt 069102 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 9920 E:\BR99\E19JA9.000 E19JA9 1072 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS January 19, 1999 lifetime learning opportunities for its scholars, ON ENTERING A LETTER TO THE CONGRATULATIONS TO MS. RUTH the Fielding Institute has maintained its leader- HONORABLE DAVID DREIER COLLINS ship in the field. ABOUT THE DELEGATE VOTE The Institute has built an outstanding rep- HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON utation for its graduate programs, including HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON OF TEXAS doctoral programs in Clinical Psychology, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Human and Organizational Development and Tuesday, January 19, 1999 Educational Leadership and Change and a IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ms.