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Friday, October 23, 2009

Senate confirms UMW man for mine-safety chief

The U.S. Senate confirmed Joseph Main, the United Mine Workers' former occupational health and safety administrator, as director of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration Thursday. Tony Oppegard, a Lexington, Ky., attorney who is a former state and federal mine safety official, told James R. Carroll of The Courier-Journal:. "I think Joe has done more for mine safety in this country in the last 25 years than anyone else."

Main's confirmation was seen by some as a movement away from MSHA's reputation of being too close to the coal industry during the Bush administration, which chose two top former coal company officials, one of whom was rejected by the Senate twice, to head the office, Carroll reports. The National Mining Association offered no criticism of Main, left, calling him "an experienced coal miner and obviously well informed about related safety challenges." (Read more)

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