Senate discusses Crandall Canyon accident

WASHINGTON — New Senate legislation will help establish clear lines of communication in the aftermath of a mine accident, based on the experience at the Crandall Canyon Mine accident in August.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said at a Senate hearing this morning that she plans to introduce legislation designed specifically to model mine accident communication after the National Transportation Safety Board's policies following plane crashes, which outlines how families of victims receive information.

"We need to do more to make sure that if there is a mining incident they have access to accurate and consistent information from government officials," said Murray, who criticized mine operator Bob Murray's press conferences and mismanagement of information after the accident.

Sen. Patty Murray said she will introduce the Mine Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2007, because miner families deserve better than hearing life or death information "from the nightly news."

In a packed hearing in the Senate Dirksen Office building, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hear from two panels of witnesses today on the Aug. 6 accident in Huntington, Emery County, that trapped and killed six miners. A separate collapse 10 days later killed three people and injured others who were trying to rescue the trapped miners

"For the sake of all miners, we need to understand what went wrong at Crandall Canyon," said Chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., as he opened the hearing.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who sits on the committee, recognized the family members of those killed in the accident in the audience at the hearing.

Families of Manuel Sanchez, Kerry Allred, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Brandon Phillips and Don Erickson — who were trapped in the accident — and of rescuers Brandon Kimber, Dale Black and Gary Jensen — who were killed during the recovery effort — wore white ribbon loops secured to lapels and dresses with a pin of a pick ax crossed with a shovel. Some family members will testify, along with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., at a Wednesday House Education and Labor hearing examining the accident.

"All of these men are examples of the best of Utah," Hatch said.

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