October 10, 2017

MANCHIN JOINS U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR ACOSTA FOR MINE SAFETY TOUR

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) joined U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta for a mine safety tour of ICG Beckley, LLC’s Pocahontas Beckley Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Officials from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which is an agency overseen by the Secretary of Labor, also participated in the mine safety tour.

Following a ride in a mantrip that transported the group underground, Secretary Acosta and the Senators observed first-hand the operation’s continuous mining machine, which employs a large rotating steel drum equipped with teeth to extract coal from the seam. Installed on the continuous mining machine is a proximity detection system, which can detect the presence of personnel or equipment and avert pinning or crushing accidents. 

“I’m glad that Secretary Acosta accepted my invitation to visit West Virginia and we got the chance to tour the ICG Beckley, LLC Pocahontas Beckley Mine in Raleigh County today,” Senator Manchin said. “Seeing first-hand the operation of a mine, the environment in which our miners work, and the skill it takes to operate sophisticated machinery underground, changes your perspective on the health and safety of these miners and how dangerous this profession really is. I look forward to working with him to make sure that every miner gets to return home safely to their family at the end of the day.” 

“Touring a West Virginia coal mine with Senators Manchin and Capito gives me a first-hand appreciation for the dedication of the men and women who work in the more than 13,000 mines around the country,” said Secretary Acosta. “Through their hard work, America’s miners fuel our modern-day life. The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that all miners work in a safe and healthy work environment.”

Pocahontas Beckley Mine employs about 170 people, and in 2016, produced 982,725 tons of coal. ICG Beckley, LLC is a subsidiary of Arch Coal, Inc.

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