From Deseret News archives:
Pass new mining bill
Critics of the new legislation say mine companies have lagged behind in implementing safety requirements required in that act. There's no point in piggybacking on the 2006 legislation while efforts to comply are under way. Anything Congress can do to bolster the work of federal mine regulators is needed.
This bill is important in light of new developments in the deaths of six miners and three rescuers in Utah's Crandall Canyon Mine this past summer. The bill specifically restricts retreat mining, a technique where coal pillars that support a mine's roof are removed to result in a planned cave-in so more coal can be recovered. Retreat mining had been conducted in the area where the initial mine bump at Crandall Canyon Mine occurred, trapping six miners. Three of their rescuers were killed in a separate collapse a few days later.
The bill also addresses communication between miners' families and those managing a mine rescue operation. Relatives of the Crandall Canyon Mine victims were upset in their discussions with the mine's co-owner Robert Murray.
If Bush vetoes this bill, Congress should at least address mine safety through the appropriations process. The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration needs more trained mine inspectors, according to agency director Richard Stickler. Those inspectors need ample resources to conduct a sufficient number of mine inspections and follow-up visits to ensure miners work under the safest conditions possible.
Underground coal mining is inherently risky. Not every hazard can be anticipated or eliminated through regulation or practice. But as technology improves and the knowledge base expands, America's coal miners whose efforts keep America's lights on deserve policies and regulations that keep them safe.
Recent comments
This bill existed as a plan designed to make mine exploration and...
Minng Engineer | Jan. 22, 2008 at 4:49 p.m.
This bill is a sneaky attempt by Rep. George Miller and other...
Larsen | Jan. 22, 2008 at 1:50 p.m.
Has Bush EVER done the right thing?
That guy has failed on every...
Ernest T. Bass | Jan. 22, 2008 at 10:21 a.m.
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