Senate passes Enzi's safety legislation; House has not voted

Senate passes Enzi's safety legislation; House has not voted

Washington (Platts)--25May2006

The Senate unanimously passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response
Act of 2006 on Wednesday.

S. 2803, sponsored by Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi and co-sponsored by 11 other
senators, was first introduced last week. Ever since the fatalities at the
Sago mine in West Virginia in early January, followed by fatalities at other
mines, both the Senate and House have been talking about improved mine safety.
Six bills were introduced, but this week's vote is the first in either
chamber. The other five bills are still stuck in committees.

Some of the safety improvements outlined in the bill include raising financial
penalties for violating Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations,
installing two-way communications and electronic tracking systems.

Two bills dealing with mine safety legislation were offered in the House last
week. The Miner Act (H.R. 5432), sponsored by West Virginia Representative
Shelley Moore Capito, is a companion to the Senate bill just passed.
Protecting America's Miners Act (H.R. 5389) is sponsored by California
Representative George Miller.

Earlier this month, West Virginia Representative Nick Rahall sponsored his own
measure, Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 2006 (H.R. 4695). No timeline
has been given for debate on these bills.

Georgia Representative Charlie Norwood, chairman of the House Workforce
Subcommittee, will introduce his own mine safety measure today. The
congressman isn't changing anything in the bills already introduced, but he is
adding to them, Norwood's press secretary, John Stone, told Platts. He would
not elaborate Wednesday.

"We don't want to rush to pass a bill," Stone said. "We want to look at the
legislation carefully and make sure we consider all the issues involved."

While the United Mine Workers of America praised the Senate bill's passage,
union leaders said more needs to be done.

"[T]here is much more still to do, starting with following up on the Mine
Safety and Health Administration's moratorium on the use of Omega Blocks for
sealing abandoned mine areas by outlawing their use entirely," UMWA President
Cecil Roberts said in a statement. "We must also require that seals
constructed of more sturdy material, like concrete block, be able to withstand
the pressure levels that actually occur in underground explosions -- standards
that are required throughout the rest of the industrialized world."

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