West Virginia governor signs mine safety bill

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (Reuters) – West Virginia Gov.
Joe Manchin signed into law on Thursday a mine-safety bill
designed to expedite rescue operations and safeguard workers
following the deaths of 14 miners in his state this month.

The legislation will create a 24-hour mine accident hot
line that will mobilize rescue teams immediately. Failure to
report an accident within 15 minutes will result in a $100,000
fine.

The new law will also require locator devices for miners
and for additional oxygen supplies to be placed strategically
underground. A lifeline with reflective markings will lead
miners to each oxygen cache and hopefully out of a mine.

“What we have done is historic,” Manchin said, adding that
he had shown the new measures to “everyone from the president
on down. We in West Virginia are taking the first step.”

Twelve men died after a January 2 blast at International
Coal Group’s Sago coal mine in Tallmansville, which set off a
lengthy underground rescue operation hampered by high levels of
carbon monoxide.

Two more miners perished in a fire last week at another
West Virginia mine, this one owned by Massey Energy Co.’s
Aracoma coal unit. The deadly accidents prompted West
Virginia’s congressional delegation to urge the Bush
administration to enforce federal mining safety regulations.

Manchin said state mining officials will have the rules
written to implement the new law by the end of January. Coal
companies will have the month of February to come into
compliance or face penalties. The coal industry has said it
would move as quickly as possibly to purchase approved,
reliable equipment for their miners.

“Maybe this will help save other miners someday,” said
Dolores Bragg, whose husband Donald, along with Ellery “Elvis”
Hatfield, died in the January 19 Aracoma mine fire.

John Groves’ brother Jerry was one of the 12 miners who
perished in the Sago mine.

“This is not just for West Virginia but for other coal
miners everywhere,” he said. “This will save lives, I’m sure.”