It was barely more than a year ago, in June 2006, when President Bush signed a law he said would build on efforts to "enhance mine safety training, to to improve safety and communications technology for miners and provide more emergency supplies of breathable air along escape routes."

That law came in the wake of mining disasters in Kentucky and West Virginia. A lot of people thought the bill took care of problems in the industry, but here we are again, watching and praying for the rescue of six men trapped in a mine far beneath the surface right here in Utah.

To keep things in perspective, you must understand a few things.

The first is that mining is, always has been and likely always will be a dangerous profession. A lot of Utahns either know miners or have miners somewhere in their list of ancestors, and their family histories likely have a story or two about dangers associated with that line of work. One of the worst mining disasters in the nation's history took place here, in Scofield, more than 100 years ago.

Those were the days when miners took canaries with them underground — early warning systems designed to detect problems with the air. Safety precautions and equipment have come a long way since then, but nothing can ever totally ensure safety for workers thousands of feet below the surface.

The second is that the law President Bush signed could not be implemented immediately. It requires wireless communication systems, but officials say the technology to set up such a system inside a mountain does not yet exist. It requires tracking systems to determine the whereabouts and conditions of miners at all times. Federal officials have approved systems that would do this, but it takes time to get them in place. Other equipment mandated by the law has led to huge back orders at companies that make them.

Of course, all of this is moving far too slowly. This week's disaster in Crandall Canyon demonstrated that point clearly. All of the law's provisions would have helped the trapped miners, as well as their rescuers.

We hope the delays in acquiring new equipment and implementing procedures are not the fault of reluctant mine owners, some of whom have historically been slow to consider their workers.

We further hope this disaster spurs a quickening pace in the industry's efforts to follow the new law. Mining accidents are horrible enough without having to consider that better compliance with the law could have sped recovery efforts.