State Panel Tightens Mine Seal Regulation

By Tim Huber

Underground coal mines in West Virginia would be required to replace or strengthen cement foam block seals like the ones that failed in the Sago Mine disaster under a proposal approved by a state panel.

Mines that can’t beef up seals or replace them safely would be required to monitor sealed areas for explosive gases daily and make sure the atmosphere remains nonexplosive, according to the proposed regulation approved Tuesday by the state Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety.

Both provisions go beyond an emergency federal rule adopted by the Mine Safety and Health Administration last May. MSHA’s rule, which is due to become final early next year, addresses new seals between active and inactive workings, but not existing cement foam block seals.

Like MSHA, however, the state would require rebuilt or replacement seals to withstand explosions generating 50 pounds per square inch of pressure. MSHA set 50 psi as the first level of a three-tier standard for seal strength.

Otherwise, the proposed state rule largely follows MSHA’s lead, said Ron Wooten, director of the state Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training. “What we want to do at this juncture is travel down the same path as MSHA on these rules.”

MSHA’s rule requires mines to monitor the atmosphere behind 50 psi seals and make it non-explosive by pumping in inert gases. Mines could avoid monitoring by building seals to withstand 120 psi. Mines at risk of more powerful explosions would need even stronger seals.

While MSHA’s rule is expected to have a big effect on the nation’s 670 underground coal mines, the state’s proposal is likely to have a smaller impact. As of last summer, there were about 900 cement foam block seals in the state and some have been replaced or strengthened already, Wooten said.

Practically every seal in the state has been examined over the past 18 months and many have been strengthened or replaced already, said West Virginia Coal Association Vice President Chris Hamilton. In other cases, mine operators have submitted plans for strengthening or replacing seals in need of attention, he said.

The state banned the use of cement foam blocks for seals last year in response to the fatal Sago explosion, which killed a dozen miners. Government investigators believe lightning set off a methane explosion inside an abandoned, sealed area and destroyed the foam block seals.

The state’s proposal is not yet final. Wooten’s office is accepting comments on it through Sept. 6.

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