Loss of Wellstone leaves deep scars

Last summer I was an intern for Senator Paul Wellstone in Washington, D.C. Though the job was for only two months, it changed my life forever. Aside from Senator Wellstone’s understated hospitality, which one was obliged to accept, I was impressed by the personal commitment he gave to each issue he took on. He was one of the hardest working people I have ever known, tirelessly going from one meeting to the next and often skipping lunch when his schedule too tight. He was a relentless warrior, committed to his causes, and my political mentor. He was the man I strive to be, the personification of my dreams. With Senator Wellstone now lost, I cannot help but feel like I am as well.

When I worked for Senator Wellstone, I was involved with the examination of the national safety regulations that serve to protect miners. The work I did was designed to prepare Senator Wellstone for one of his many committee meetings. This was not an issue that strongly affected Minnesotans, yet when Senator Wellstone talked about the risks miners face, it was plain that he was deeply committed to improving the regulations. Though the issue had minimal bearing on his political future, Senator Wellstone was willing to take as much time as was needed to deal with it. This genuinely impressed me, especially because he was the primary actor pushing the issues forward.

While conducting my research on mining issues, I was disturbed and saddened to find out that on Sept. 23, 2001, there had been a mining explosion in which 13 miners had died in Alabama’s Jim Walters Resource Mine. Because the tragedy occurred just 12 days after Sept. 11, it received only scant attention in the media and on Capitol Hill, as both were fully saturated by the national security issues of the day. Ultimately, the issue, as many before it, was saved from drifting into obscurity by Senator Wellstone’s unique leadership.

Over the past few years, the resources of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which is the primary regulator of mine safety nationwide, have been spread dangerously thin through chronic under-funding and under-staffing. This has resulted in institutionalized ineptitude, causing more relaxed safety standards within the mining industry, which is already one of the most dangerous industries in America.

For example, the aforementioned Jim Walters Resource Mine had thirty-one outstanding violations at the time of the explosion. A combination of serious violations, such as one thousand feet of flammable coal dust and an inadequately supported roof, is believed to have caused the explosion to be so deadly. The mine had previously been cited for the overabundance of methane gas, but the issue was thought to have been resolved. Tragically, if inspectors had the resources to follow up these thirty-one violations, the Jim Walters catastrophe may have been avoidable.

This is why Senator Wellstone, emboldened by personally visiting a number of mines, fought to strengthen the safety regulations and increase the budget of the MSHA.

In addition, MSHA’s unfortunate tendency to let violations go unattended has been magnified by their new standards policy. Under the new policy, most of the once mandatory safety precautions have been degraded to voluntary status. As it is generally more expensive to institute safety standards than not, mining companies have a strong incentive to refuse their implementation. This creates a conflict of interest, pitting safety against the bottom line; a losing battle for all involved. Senator Wellstone recognized this problem for what it was, and sought to pressure MSHA, headed by David Lauriski, to take back control of the safety standards. He was in the midst of this process when this terrible accident occurred.

Now that Senator Wellstone is gone, I feel as the miners have lost their key advocate. Because of this loss, it is more important than ever that miners’ atrocious working conditions receive greater attention in the media. I can think of no more beautiful way to honor Senator Wellstone’s legacy than to pick up where his fight left off. I hope that others, both those involved the political community and those not currently involved, feel the same.