“Too many Americans lay awake at night, wondering if their loved ones can make it home safely. It is for our miners that I fight for improved mine safety, stronger oversight and accountability, and relentlessly pursue answers for what happened at the Upper Big Branch mine on that tragic day.”
 
Rockefeller Mine Safety Work For West Virginia:

The following are a list of action items that Senator Rockefeller is working on to deliver real solutions for West Virginia coal miners and workers across our country:

Pushing for passage of amendments to improve mine safety:
-Senator Rockefeller authored an amendment to the Wall Street Reform bill that would require any publicly-traded mining company to include critical mine safety information in its annual and quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). With this information, shareholders would be more informed and corporate management would be more accountable for a company’s safety record.
-Senator Rockefeller also authored an amendment that was included as part of the Senate jobs bill, the American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010, which would help more of our coal companies qualify for mine safety tax credits.  These tax credits keep miners safe by reducing the cost of training mine rescue teams and purchasing important life-saving equipment like communications equipment, emergency breathing apparatus, and devices to monitor gas levels in mines.

Working on new legislative approaches to improve workplace safety, which include:
-Additional workplace safety enforcement and accountability standards through the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
-Streamlining Pattern of Violation rules and regulations so that repeat offenders are subject to additional oversight and enforcement.
-Reducing the appeals backlog at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, to prevent companies from avoiding responsibility simply by filing appeals.
-Improved whistleblower protections to empower miners and all workers to come forward and report dangerous conditions.
-Increased fines and penalties for companies that routinely violate safety laws and regulations.