WASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Elaine Chao should make sure all mines have approved emergency response plans in place and are using them in light of the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, says Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.

Miller, who heads the House Education and Labor Committee that oversees mine safety, wrote to Chao to remind her that federal mining reforms passed last year require that emergency response plans meet certain standards.

The Crandall mine had a plan, but it was not fully implemented, Miller wrote to Chao.

"If emergency plans are not being implemented properly and in a timely manner, as appears to have been the case at the Crandall Canyon Mine, this has serious implications for the safety and well-being of our nation's miners," Miller said.

"Given how many tragic — and preventable — deaths have occurred over the past 20 months alone, (the Mine Safety and Health Administration) should be rigorous in ensuring that miners have vital safety equipment and resources in the event of an emergency."

Miller said he plans for his committee to have a hearing in October on the Utah mine accident, as well as to move legislation he introduced earlier this year that aims to expand on the mining reform bill signed by President Bush last year.

A Senate appropriations subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 5, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., also wrote to Chao this past week seeking volumes of documents on the Crandall mine and its safety history.

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