The BLM carried out a special inspection after a severe bump on the North Barrier March 11. That bump forced the end of mining in the area, but mining continued in the South Barrier area. The BLM report on that incident, dated Aug. 13 — after the accidents in the South Barrier area — said extensive rib coal was thrown into the entryway.

"Stress overrides ... were very concerning," the BLM added.

Although that BLM report was not finalized until after the accidents, the observations "could have been provided verbally (to MSHA) if an agreement to exchange information had been in place."

Richard E. Stickler, acting assistant secretary for Mine Safety and Health, wrote to Lewis on Wednesday that despite the inspection involving BLM information, "none of MSHA's criteria for approving a roof control plan included consultation with the Bureau of Land Management."

Lewis' response to that was sharp: "We agree that MSHA's procedures did not require it to obtain or share information with BLM. However, they should have."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, commented, "While not the final word on Crandall Canyon, this report is another piece of the puzzle that gives us a clearer picture of the tragedy and outlines some steps that MSHA can take to make mining safer." He said in a release that the report shows "MSHA must do a better job documenting how it approves, monitors and enforces roof-control plans. The process must be transparent as possible."

He added that it is incumbent on MSHA to carry out the report's recommendations.

Hatch, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., are senior members of the committee that requested the report.

Enzi said in their joint press release that "MSHA must fully and immediately address these recommendations to be more vigilant about the safety of our nation's miners.

"Roof-safety plans are essential to mine safety, and the IG's report raises a number of serious concerns about how MSHA reviews and approves these plans."

Added Isakson, "The report demonstrates that a top priority of MSHA should be to target its finite resources as effectively as possible." Areas that should be address include research into better technology, acquiring additional technical expertise and developing better safety equipment, he added.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a separate press release that the report "confirms that MSHA clearly failed to fulfill its duty to protect the Crandall Canyon miners. The report's conclusions underscore the urgent need for reform."

Kennedy called for MSHA to more carefully assess the risk before allowing mining companies to "subject miners to such dangerous conditions."

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., issued a statement saying the report shows "miners performing retreat mining in this country remain at serious risk because of MSHA's deeply flawed process for reviewing and approving retreat mining plans."