West Virginia governor signs mine safety bill
Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 12:32 CST
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."
Source: REUTERS
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