THE UPPER BIG BRANCH MINE TRAGEDY FIELD HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION HEARING HELD IN BECKLEY, WV, MAY 24, 2010 Serial No. 111–65 Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor ( Available on the Internet: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/education/index.html U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 56–355 PDF WASHINGTON : 2010 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR GEORGE MILLER, California, Chairman Dale E. Kildee, Michigan, Vice Chairman John Kline, Minnesota, Donald M. Payne, New Jersey Senior Republican Member Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin Robert C. ‘‘Bobby’’ Scott, Virginia Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, California Lynn C. Woolsey, California Peter Hoekstra, Michigan Rube´n Hinojosa, Texas Michael N. Castle, Delaware Carolyn McCarthy, New York Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Judy Biggert, Illinois Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania David Wu, Oregon Joe Wilson, South Carolina Rush D. Holt, New Jersey Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington Susan A. Davis, California Tom Price, Georgia Rau´ l M. Grijalva, Arizona Rob Bishop, Utah Timothy H. Bishop, New York Brett Guthrie, Kentucky Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania Bill Cassidy, Louisiana David Loebsack, Iowa Tom McClintock, California Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Duncan Hunter, California Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania David P. Roe, Tennessee Phil Hare, Illinois Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania Yvette D. Clarke, New York [Vacant] Joe Courtney, Connecticut Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio Jared Polis, Colorado Paul Tonko, New York Pedro R. Pierluisi, Puerto Rico Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Northern Mariana Islands Dina Titus, Nevada Judy Chu, California Mark Zuckerman, Staff Director Barrett Karr, Minority Staff Director (II) CONTENTS Page Hearing held on May 24, 2010 ............................................................................... 1 Statement of Members: Altmire, Hon. Jason, a Representative in Congress from the State of Pennsylvania ................................................................................................. 14 Capito, Hon. Shelley Moore, a Representative in Congress from the State of West Virginia ............................................................................................ 9 Kline, Hon. John, Senior Republican Member, Committee on Education and Labor ...................................................................................................... 6 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 7 Miller, Hon. George, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor ......... 1 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 5 Table: ‘‘Names of the 29 Miners Who Died at the Upper Big Branch Mine on April 5, 2010 ............................................................................ 67 Letter, dated May 28, 2010, from Hon. Hilda L. Solis, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor ..................................................................... 68 Mollohan, Hon. Alan B., a Representative in Congress from the State of West Virginia ............................................................................................ 9 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 10 Rahall, Hon. Nick J. II, a Representative in Congress from the State of West Virginia ............................................................................................ 7 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 8 Shea-Porter, Hon. Carol, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Hampshire ........................................................................................ 14 Woolsey, Hon. Lynn C., a Representative in Congress from the State of California ................................................................................................... 12 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 13 Statement of Witnesses: Cook, Charles E., uncle of Adam Morgan ....................................................... 26 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 27 Long, Leo, grandfather of Ronald Lee Maynor .............................................. 66 Manchin, Hon. Joe III, Governor, State of West Virginia ............................. 15 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 18 Morgan, Steve, father of Adam Morgan ......................................................... 24 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 25 Mullins, Clay, brother of Rex Mullins ............................................................ 29 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 31 Peters, Alice, mother-in-law of Edward Dean Jones ..................................... 28 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 28 Quarles, Gary, father of Gary Wayne Quarles ............................................... 21 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 23 Rockefeller, Hon. John D. IV, a U.S. Senator from the State of West Virginia .......................................................................................................... 11 Solis, Hon. Hilda, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor .............................. 2 Stewart, Stanley ‘‘Goose,’’ miner, Upper Big Branch Mine .......................... 32 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 34 Additional submission: ‘‘Enhanced Underground Hourly Rate Agree- ment and Covenant Not to Compete’’ .................................................. 50 (III) THE UPPER BIG BRANCH MINE TRAGEDY Monday, May 24, 2010 U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor Washington, DC The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:00 a.m., in room C, Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center, 200 Armory Drive, Beckley, West Virginia, Hon. George Miller, Chairman of the Com- mittee, presiding. Committee Members Present: Chairman George Miller, and Rep- resentatives John Kline, Ranking Minority Member; Lynn Woolsey; Jason Altmire; and Carol Shea-Porter. Also Present: Senator John D. Rockefeller and Representatives Nick J. Rahall, Shelley Moore Capito, and Alan B. Mollohan. Also Present: The Honorable Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor; Joe Main, Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health; and Brian Kennedy, Assistant Secretary, Office of Congressional and Inter- governmental Affairs. Staff Present: Aaron Albright, Press Secretary; Jody Calemine, General Counsel; Lynn Dondis, Labor Counsel, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections; Richard Miller, Senior Labor Policy Advisor; Revae Moran, Detailee Labor; Meredith Regine, Junior Legislative Associate, Labor; Barrett Karr, Minority Staff Director; Loren Sweatt, Minority Professional Staff Member. Chairman MILLER. Good morning. I’m Congressman George Mil- ler and I want to just make a statement before we begin this hear- ing, a very important hearing. I’d like to recognize a special guest, and I’m very pleased that she has taken her time to join us today to listen to the families. And that is Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, who is sitting along over here. Hilda, Secretary Solis—we’ve known one another a long time. Secretary Solis served as a Member of Congress from 2001 to 2009 and she was confirmed as Secretary of Labor in February of 2009. She traveled here from Washington in order to hear first- hand the testimony of the family members touched by the Upper Big Branch tragedy. And again, I want to thank her for being here and she was here right after the tragedy onsite with the members of her Department, and we certainly appreciate you being here then also, Hilda, and if you would like to take a couple of minutes for the purpose of making remarks before we start the hearing, you’re recognized. (1) 2 Secretary SOLIS. Thank you very much, Chairman Miller. I want to also acknowledge Senator Rockefeller, who is here in the delega- tion here from West Virginia, but more importantly, the Committee on Labor and Education for being here and, of course, obviously, the families. I wish we were here under different circumstances; however, we do need to begin our discussion. I just want to thank you, Governor, for also being here with us. Let me first express my deepest condolences to the families once again, friends and co-workers of the twenty-nine miners who per- ished in the Upper Big Branch mine and the surviving miners. Our prayers and our thoughts are with you and your families. As the President said, we owe them more than prayers; we owe them ac- tion and we owe them accountability. They ought to know that be- hind them there’s a company that’s doing what it takes to protect them and a government that is looking out for their safety. At 3:02 p.m. on April 5th,