HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 21

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2013

INTRODUCED BY

Don L. Tripp

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE GOVERNOR PROCLAIM MAY 2013 AS "MINING SAFETY MONTH" IN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, the natural resources that are mined in New Mexico contribute greatly to the way of life of all New Mexicans; and

     WHEREAS, there are more than two hundred forty-six mines operating in New Mexico, with more than six thousand six hundred men and women working in those mines; and

     WHEREAS, those workers received over three hundred thirteen million dollars ($313,000,000) in wages in 2011; and

     WHEREAS, mining is a unique occupation that requires specialized skills; and

     WHEREAS, mining safety and the health of miners are issues of great concern to all who benefit from the labor of those who toil in the mining industry; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico miners will gather at the sixth annual New Mexico mine health and safety conference, to be held in Socorro from May 6 through May 8, 2013; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico miners will compete at the southwestern regional mine rescue association's mine rescue competition, to be held in Taos from May 21 through May 23, 2013; and

     WHEREAS, 2013 is the one-hundredth-year anniversary of the Stag canyon mine explosion at Dawson, New Mexico, the second-worst mining disaster in United States history, in which two hundred sixty-three New Mexico miners lost their lives; and

     WHEREAS, all New Mexico miners have the right to come home each day to their families;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the governor be requested to proclaim May 2013 as "Mining Safety Month" in the state of New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the president of the New Mexico institute of mining and technology and the state mine inspector.

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