mr. walberg. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and thank you mr. manes for being here. i would like to highlight an issue related to minor training cited in an internal review that seems startling to me. in my getting up to speed over the course of this past year, i have had the opportunity to view my operations -- mining operations in north dakota. i have had the opportunity to go 1200 feet below detroit and see minds, which is a total different ballgame. >> i have had the chance to be with you in your home area and see your home. in a coal mine at 800 or 900 feet and 8 miles back into that long walk, i know that i am not a minor. i know that you are a miners and you understand that. if i look at the record, upper big branch was operated under a petition for modification to permit mining through oil and gas wells. the petition was granted, according to the record on october 16, 1995. the mine was required to submit a training plan 60 days after the petition became final. as i understand it, that plan would have included an initial and refresher minor miner training req

mr. walberg, for five minutes. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, we've had -- all had to dig a little deeper in our pocketbooks when visiting the gas station lately. gas has now reached $4 a gallon in my district. combined with the stub orangely high unemployment -- stubbornly high unemployment rate in michigan, i know my constituents are hurting. however, the pain at the pump has sparked more conversations than ever about domestic energy development. even the harshest critics are starting to realize that american oil, american gas and american coal are viable solutions to our energy crisis with countless benefits. the time is right for our country to embark on a new chapter in energy production. american energy. an overhaul of this, if you will. right now we are faced with abundant expansion possibilities all there for the taking. new developments in science and technology make this possible. you've probably heard at least of a few. terms like fracking, 3-d mapping and horglontal drilling. these practices allow producers easily extract na

mr. walberg, for five minutes. mr. walberg: thank you, madam speaker. this friday, march 23, marks the second anniversary of president obama's health care law. after two years, it's clear the law has already left more victims in its path than people it was meant to help. and unfortunately, along with the 20 million employees who will probably lose employer-sponsored health care, it may be our seniors who take the hardest hit. millions of seniors and disabled americans rely on medicare, yet the program is in danger. according to the centers for medicare and medicaid services, with the baby bomber generation about to retire, if nothing is done to the program the program will be bankrupt in 10 years. . instead of making medicare stronger through transparent and responsible reform, the 3rezz has decided -- the president has decided to cut more than $500 billion from the program. money which then -- will then be used to fund his new health care law. if taking nearly half a trillion dollars from the nearly crippled program is bad enough, he's handpicked a spe