US HOUSE PASSES S-MINER ACT

On Wednesday, January 16th, The U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act” (S-MINER Act) (H.R. 2768) by a vote of 214-199.  The 199 votes cast in opposition are substantially more than the 145 votes necessary to sustain a threatened presidential veto, should one be necessary. All three of West Virginia’s Congressional members voted for the bill.  However, Representative Capito voted to send the bill back to Committee, a motion/vote which preceded passage of the mine safety measure.  There is little indication at this time that the Senate will consider the S-MINER Act.  The bill was opposed by 183 Republicans and 16 Democrats.  WVCA thanks all of you who contacted your congressional delegation to express opposition to the S-MINER Act.  Industry’s collective efforts succeeded in demonstrating more than sufficient bipartisan opposition to the bill to sustain a presidential veto.