House joins Senate in passing Miner Act, bill awaits president

House joins Senate in passing Miner Act, bill awaits president

Washington (Platts)--9Jun2006

By an overwhelming majority, the House joined the Senate in passing the Mine
Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 late Wednesday. The same
legislation was passed by the Senate last week (PCT 5/25).

"This bill is not a cure-all. It's not the perfect bill," sponsor and West
Virginia Representative Nick Rahall said in his floor statement Wednesday
night before the 381-37 vote. "It is misleading and dangerous to suggest that
any bill can be a cure-all. It is a step in the right direction, a step that
must not be delayed."

President Bush said in a statement he looked forward to signing the bill.

"This legislation will complement the Mine Safety and Health Administration's
efforts to enhance mine safety training, improve safety and communications
technology and provide emergency caches of breathable air for miners," Bush
said. "The bill also increases penalties for those who violate mine safety
laws."

The Miner Act requires mine operators to install two-way communications and
electronic tracking systems, and mandates caches of self-contained
self-rescuers be stationed in a mine. It requires rescue teams be able to
reach the mine in an hour and increases many civil and criminal fines. It also
requires operators to notify MSHA within 15 minutes of a serious accident and
sets up an emergency call center.

The National Mining Association and the United Mine Workers of America also
applauded the bill's passage.

"Leaders in both houses of Congress along with coal state members should be
commended for putting individual differences aside to protect the men and
women who provide the fuel that generates more than half of the nation's
electricity," NMA President and CEO Kraig Naasz said in a statement.

"Once [the president signs the bill], it will be incumbent upon the Mine
Safety and Health Administration to quickly promulgate the regulations it
requires, and then vigorously enforce them as well as the laws and regulations
already on the books," UMWA President Cecil Roberts said in a statement.

In other mine safety legislation, the Senate approved extra funding for MSHA
when it passed the emergency national security funding package in May. The
bill gives MSHA $35.6 million to hire 217 safety inspectors and personnel and
$10 million to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for
mine safety research and development (PCT 5/05).

"The funding package recently came out of conference between the House and
Senate," Jennifer Reed, a spokeswoman for West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd,
told Platts. "There is a discrepancy with spending that needs to be worked
out, but we could see a decision on the package in a few days or maybe next
week."

It was Byrd who offered the mine safety funding amendment to the package (PCT
3/17).

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