1.This Act may be cited as
the Mine Improvement and New Emergency
Response Act of 2006
or the MINER
Act
.
2.Section 316 of the
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 876) is amended—
(1)in the section heading by adding at the end
the following: and
emergency response plans
;
(2)by striking Telephone
and
inserting (a) In
general.—Telephone
; and
(3)by adding at the
end the following:
(b)Accident
preparedness and response
(1)Each underground coal mine operator shall carry out on a
continuing basis a program to improve accident preparedness and response at
each mine.
(2)Response and
preparedness plan
(A)Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the
Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response
Act of 2006, each underground coal mine operator shall develop
and adopt a written accident response plan that complies with this subsection
with respect to each mine of the operator, and periodically update such plans
to reflect changes in operations in the mine, advances in technology, or other
relevant considerations. Each such operator shall make the accident response
plan available to the miners and the miners’ representatives.
(B)An accident response plan under subparagraph (A)
shall—
(i)provide for the
evacuation of all individuals endangered by an emergency; and
(ii)provide for the
maintenance of individuals trapped underground in the event that miners are not
able to evacuate the mine.
(C)The accident response plan under subparagraph (A) shall
be subject to review and approval by the Secretary. In determining whether to
approve a particular plan the Secretary shall take into consideration all
comments submitted by miners or their representatives. Approved plans
shall—
(i)afford miners a
level of safety protection at least consistent with the existing standards,
including standards mandated by law and regulation;
(ii)reflect the most
recent credible scientific research;
(iii)be
technologically feasible, make use of current commercially available
technology, and account for the specific physical characteristics of the mine;
and
(iv)reflect the
improvements in mine safety gained from experience under this Act and other
worker safety and health laws.
(D)The accident response plan under subparagraph (A) shall be
reviewed periodically, but at least every 6 months, by the Secretary. In such
periodic reviews, the Secretary shall consider all comments submitted by miners
and miners' representatives and intervening advancements in science and
technology that could be implemented to enhance miners’ ability to evacuate or
otherwise survive in an emergency.
(E)Plan
content-general requirementsTo be approved under subparagraph
(C), an accident response plan shall include the following:
(i)Post-accident
communicationsThe plan shall provide for a redundant means of
communication with the surface for persons underground, such as secondary
telephone or equivalent two-way communication.
(ii)Consistent with commercially available technology and
with the physical constraints, if any, of the mine, the plan shall provide for
above ground personnel to determine the current, or immediately pre-accident,
location of all underground personnel. Any system so utilized shall be
functional, reliable, and calculated to remain serviceable in a post-accident
setting.
(iii)Post-accident
breathable airThe plan shall provide for—
(I)emergency
supplies of breathable air for individuals trapped underground sufficient to
maintain such individuals for a sustained period of time;
(II)caches of
self-rescuers providing in the aggregate not less than 2 hours for each miner
to be kept in escapeways from the deepest work area to the surface at a
distance of no further than an average miner could walk in 30 minutes;
(III)a maintenance
schedule for checking the reliability of self rescuers, retiring older
self-rescuers first, and introducing new self-rescuer technology, such as units
with interchangeable air or oxygen cylinders not requiring doffing to replenish
airflow and units with supplies of greater than 60 minutes, as they are
approved by the Administration and become available on the market; and
(IV)training for
each miner in proper procedures for donning self-rescuers, switching from one
unit to another, and ensuring a proper fit.
(iv)The plan shall provide for the use of flame-resistant
directional lifelines or equivalent systems in escapeways to enable evacuation.
The flame-resistance requirement of this clause shall apply upon the
replacement of existing lifelines, or, in the case of lifelines in working
sections, upon the earlier of the replacement of such lifelines or 3 years
after the date of enactment of the Mine
Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006.
(v)The
plan shall provide a training program for emergency procedures described in the
plan which will not diminish the requirements for mandatory health and safety
training currently required under section 115.
(vi)The plan shall set out procedures for coordination
and communication between the operator, mine rescue teams, and local emergency
response personnel and make provisions for familiarizing local rescue personnel
with surface functions that may be required in the course of mine rescue
work.
(F)Plan
content-specific requirements
(i)In addition to the content requirements contained in
subparagraph (E), and subject to the considerations contained in subparagraph
(C), the Secretary may make additional plan requirements with respect to any of
the content matters.
(ii)Post accident
communicationsNot later than 3 years after the date of enactment
of the Mine Improvement and New Emergency
Response Act of 2006, a plan shall, to be approved, provide for
post accident communication between underground and surface personnel via a
wireless two-way medium, and provide for an electronic tracking system
permitting surface personnel to determine the location of any persons trapped
underground or set forth within the plan the reasons such provisions can not be
adopted. Where such plan sets forth the reasons such provisions can not be
adopted, the plan shall also set forth the operator’s alternative means of
compliance. Such alternative shall approximate, as closely as possible, the
degree of functional utility and safety protection provided by the wireless
two-way medium and tracking system referred to in this subpart.
(G)
(i)Any dispute between the Secretary and an operator with
respect to the content of the operator’s plan or any refusal by the Secretary
to approve such a plan shall be resolved on an expedited basis.
(ii)In
the event of a dispute or refusal described in clause (i), the Secretary shall
issue a technical citation which shall be immediately referred to a Department
of Labor Administrative Law Judge. The Secretary and the operator shall submit
all relevant material regarding the dispute to the Administrative Law Judge
within 15 days of the date of the referral. The Administrative Law Judge shall
render his or her decision with respect to the plan content dispute within 15
days of the receipt of the submission.
(iii)A party adversely affected by a decision under clause
(ii) may pursue all further available appeal rights with respect to the
citation involved, except that inclusion of the disputed provision in the plan
will not be limited by such appeal unless such relief is requested by the
operator and permitted by the Administrative Law Judge.
(iv)Nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed to
modify the authority of the Secretary to issue citations or orders as provided
for in this Act.
(H)Maintaining
protections for minersNotwithstanding any other provision of
this Act, nothing in this section, and no response and preparedness plan
developed under this section, shall be approved if it reduces the protection
afforded miners by an existing mandatory health or safety
standard.
.
3.Incident command
and controlTitle I of the
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 811 et seq.) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
116.Limitation on
certain liability for rescue operations
(a)No person shall bring
an action against any covered individual or his or her regular employer for
property damage or an injury (or death) sustained as a result of carrying out
activities relating to mine accident rescue or recovery operations. This
subsection shall not apply where the action that is alleged to result in the
property damages or injury (or death) was the result of gross negligence,
reckless conduct, or illegal conduct or, where the regular employer (as such
term is used in this Act) is the operator of the mine at which the rescue
activity takes place. Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt
State workers' compensation laws
(b)For purposes of subsection (a), the term covered
individual means an individual—
(1)who is a member
of a mine rescue team or who is otherwise a volunteer with respect to a mine
accident; and
(2)who is carrying
out activities relating to mine accident rescue or recovery operations.
(c)For purposes of subsection (a), the term regular
employer means the entity that is the covered employee’s legal or
statutory employer pursuant to applicable State
law.
.
4.Section 115(e) of the
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 825(e)) is
amended—
(1)by inserting
(1)
after the subsection designation; and
(2)by adding at the
end the following:
(1)(A)The Secretary
shall issue regulations with regard to mine rescue teams which shall be
finalized and in effect not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
the Mine Improvement and New Emergency
Response Act of 2006.
(B)Such regulations
shall provide for the following:
(i)That such
regulations shall not be construed to waive operator training requirements
applicable to existing mine rescue teams.
(ii)That the Mine
Safety and Health Administration shall establish, and update every 5 years
thereafter, criteria to certify the qualifications of mine rescue teams.
(iii)(I)That the
operator of each underground coal mine with more than 36 employees—
(aa)have an employee
knowledgeable in mine emergency response who is employed at the mine on each
shift at each underground mine; and
(bb)make available
two certified mine rescue teams whose members—
(AA)are familiar
with the operations of such coal mine;
(BB)participate at
least annually in two local mine rescue contests;
(CC)participate at
least annually in mine rescue training at the underground coal mine covered by
the mine rescue team; and
(DD)are available at
the mine within one hour ground travel time from the mine rescue
station.
(II)(aa)For the
purpose of complying with subclause (I), an operator shall employ one team that
is either an individual mine site mine rescue team or a composite team as
provided for in item (bb).
(bb)The following
options may be used by an operator to comply with the requirements of item
(aa):
(AA)An individual
mine-site mine rescue team.
(BB)A multi-employer
composite team that is made up of team members who are knowledgeable about the
operations and ventilation of the covered mines and who train on a semi-annual
basis at the covered underground coal mine—
(aaa)which provides
coverage for multiple operators that have team members which include at least
two active employees from each of the covered mines;
(bbb)which provides
coverage for multiple mines owned by the same operator which members include at
least two active employees from each mine; or
(ccc)which is a
State-sponsored mine rescue team comprised of at least two active employees
from each of the covered mines.
(CC)A commercial
mine rescue team provided by contract through a third-party vendor or mine
rescue team provided by another coal company, if such team—
(aaa)trains on a
quarterly basis at covered underground coal mines;
(bbb)is
knowledgeable about the operations and ventilation of the covered mines;
and
(ccc)is comprised of
individuals with a minimum of 3 years underground coal mine experience that
shall have occurred within the 10-year period preceding their employment on the
contract mine rescue team.
(DD)A
State-sponsored team made up of State employees.
(iv)That the
operator of each underground coal mine with 36 or less employees shall—
(I)have an employee
on each shift who is knowledgeable in mine emergency responses; and
(II)make available
two certified mine rescue teams whose members—
(aa)are familiar
with the operations of such coal mine;
(bb)participate at
least annually in two local mine rescue contests;
(cc)participate at
least semi-annually in mine rescue training at the underground coal mine
covered by the mine rescue team;
(dd)are available at
the mine within one hour ground travel time from the mine rescue
station;
(ee)are
knowledgeable about the operations and ventilation of the covered mines;
and
(ff)are comprised of
individuals with a minimum of 3 years underground coal mine experience that
shall have occurred within the 10-year period preceding their employment on the
contract mine rescue
team.
.
5.Prompt incident
notification
(a)Section 103(j) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act
of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 813(j)) is amended by inserting after the first sentence the
following: For purposes of the preceding sentence, the notification
required shall be provided by the operator within 15 minutes of the time at
which the operator realizes that the death of an individual at the mine, or an
injury or entrapment of an individual at the mine which has a reasonable
potential to cause death, has occurred.
.
(b)Section
110(a) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 820(a)) is
amended—
(1)by striking
The operator
and inserting (1) The operator
;
and
(2)by adding at the
end the following:
(2)The operator of a coal or other mine
who fails to provide timely notification to the Secretary as required under
section 103(j) (relating to the 15 minute requirement) shall be assessed a
civil penalty by the Secretary of not less than $5,000 and not more than
$60,000.
.
6.National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(a)Section
22 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 671) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
(h)Office of Mine
Safety and Health
(1)There shall be permanently established within the
Institute an Office of Mine Safety and Health which shall be administered by an
Associate Director to be appointed by the Director.
(2)The
purpose of the Office is to enhance the development of new mine safety
technology and technological applications and to expedite the commercial
availability and implementation of such technology in mining
environments.
(3)In
addition to all purposes and authorities provided for under this section, the
Office of Mine Safety and Health shall be responsible for research,
development, and testing of new technologies and equipment designed to enhance
mine safety and health. To carry out such functions the Director of the
Institute, acting through the Office, shall have the authority to—
(A)award competitive
grants to institutions and private entities to encourage the development and
manufacture of mine safety equipment;
(B)award contracts
to educational institutions or private laboratories for the performance of
product testing or related work with respect to new mine technology and
equipment; and
(C)establish an
interagency working group as provided for in paragraph (5).
(4)To be eligible to receive a grant under the authority
provided for under paragraph (3)(A), an entity or institution shall—
(A)submit to the
Director of the Institute an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Director may require; and
(B)include in the
application under subparagraph (A), a description of the mine safety equipment
to be developed and manufactured under the grant and a description of the
reasons that such equipment would otherwise not be developed or manufactured,
including reasons relating to the limited potential commercial market for such
equipment.
(5)Interagency
working group
(A)The
Director of the Institute, in carrying out paragraph (3)(D) shall establish an
interagency working group to share technology and technological research and
developments that could be utilized to enhance mine safety and accident
response.
(B)The
working group under subparagraph (A) shall be chaired by the Associate Director
of the Office who shall appoint the members of the working group, which may
include representatives of other Federal agencies or departments as determined
appropriate by the Associate Director.
(C)The
working group under subparagraph (A) shall conduct an evaluation of research
conducted by, and the technological developments of, agencies and departments
who are represented on the working group that may have applicability to mine
safety and accident response and make recommendations to the Director for the
further development and eventual implementation of such technology.
(6)Not later than 1 year after the establishment of the
Office under this subsection, and annually thereafter, the Director of the
Institute shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the
House of Representatives a report that, with respect to the year involved,
described the new mine safety technologies and equipment that have been
studied, tested, and certified for use, and with respect to those instances of
technologies and equipment that have been considered but not yet certified for
use, there reasons therefore.
(7)Authorization
of appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated, such
sums as may be necessary to enable the Institute and the Office of Mine Safety
and Health to carry out this
subsection.
.
7.Requirement
concerning family liaisonsThe
Secretary of Labor shall establish a policy that—
(1)requires the temporary assignment of an
individual Department of Labor official to be a liaison between the Department
and the families of victims of mine tragedies involving multiple deaths;
(2)requires the Mine Safety and Health
Administration to be as responsive as possible to requests from the families of
mine accident victims for information relating to mine accidents; and
(3)requires that in such accidents, that the
Mine Safety and Health Administration shall serve as the primary communicator
with the operator, miners’ families, the press and the public.
8.
(a)Section 110 of the
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 820) is amended—
(1)in subsection
(a)—
(A)by inserting
(1)
after the subsection designation; and
(B)by adding at the
end the following:
(2)Any operator who
willfully violates a mandatory health or safety standard, or knowingly violates
or fails or refuses to comply with any order issued under section 104 and
section 107, or any order incorporated in a final decision issued under this
title, except an order incorporated in a decision under paragraph (1) or
section 105(c), shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than
$250,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both, except
that if the conviction is for a violation committed after the first conviction
of such operator under this Act, punishment shall be by a fine of not more than
$500,000, or by imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
(3)(A)The minimum
penalty for any citation issued under section 104(d)(1) shall be $2,000.
(B)The minimum
penalty for a failure or refusal to comply with any order issued under section
104(d)(2) shall be $4,000.
(4)Nothing in this
subsection shall be construed to prevent an operator from obtaining a review,
in accordance with section 106, of an order imposing a penalty described in
this subsection. If a court, in making such review, sustains the order, the
court shall apply the minimum penalties required under this
subsection.
;
and
(2)by adding at the end of subsection (b) the
following: Violations under this section that are deemed to be flagrant
may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $220,000. For purposes of the
preceding sentence, the term flagrant with respect to a violation
means a reckless or repeated failure to make reasonable efforts to eliminate a
known violation of a mandatory health or safety standard that substantially and
proximately caused, or reasonably could have been expected to cause, death or
serious bodily injury.
.
(b)Not later than December 31, 2006, the
Secretary of Labor shall promulgate final regulations with respect to the
penalties provided for under the amendments made by this section.
9.Section
108(a)(1)(A) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C.
818(a)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting before the comma, the following: ,
or fails or refuses to comply with any order or decision, including a civil
penalty assessment order, that is issued under this Act
.
10.Sealing of
abandoned areasNot later than
18 months after the issuance by the Mine Safety and Health Administration of a
final report on the Sago Mine accident or the date of enactment of the
Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response
Act of 2006, whichever occurs earlier, the Secretary of Labor
shall finalize mandatory heath and safety standards relating to the sealing of
abandoned areas in underground coal mines. Such health and safety standards
shall provide for an increase in the 20 psi standard currently set forth in
section 75.335(a)(2) of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations.
11.Title V of the Federal
Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 951 et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
514.
(a)There
is established a Technical Study Panel (referred to in this section as the
Panel
) which shall provide independent scientific and
engineering review and recommendations with respect to the utilization of belt
air and the composition and fire retardant properties of belt materials in
underground coal mining.
(b)The
Panel shall be composed of—
(1)two individuals
to be appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation
with the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
and the Associate Director of the Office of Mine Safety;
(2)two individuals
to be appointed by the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Assistant
Secretary for Mine Safety and Health; and
(3)two individuals,
one to be appointed jointly by the majority leaders of the Senate and House of
Representatives and one to be appointed jointly by the minority leader of the
Senate and House of Representatives, each to be appointed prior to the sine die
adjournment of the second session of the 109th Congress.
(c)Four
of the six individuals appointed to the Panel under subsection (b) shall
possess a masters or doctoral level degree in mining engineering or another
scientific field demonstrably related to the subject of the report. No
individual appointed to the Panel shall be an employee of any coal or other
mine, or of any labor organization, or of any State or Federal agency primarily
responsible for regulating the mining industry.
(d)
(1)Not later than 1 year after the date on which all members
of the Panel are appointed under subsection (b), the Panel shall prepare and
submit to the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services,
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a
report concerning the utilization of belt air and the composition and fire
retardant properties of belt materials in underground coal mining.
(2)Not later than 180 days after the receipt of the report
under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Labor shall provide a response to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives
containing a description of the actions, if any, that the Secretary intends to
take based upon the report, including proposing regulatory changes, and the
reasons for such actions.
(e)Members
appointed to the panel, while carrying out the duties of the Panel shall be
entitled to receive compensation, per diem in lieu of subsistence, and travel
expenses in the same manner and under the same conditions as that prescribed
under section 208(c) of the Public Health Service
Act.
.
12.Title V of the Federal Mine Safety and
Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 951 et seq.), as amended by section 12, is
further amended by adding at the end the following:
515.
(a)The
Secretary of Education (referred to in this section as the
Secretary
), in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall establish a program to provide
scholarships to eligible individuals to increase the skilled workforce for both
private sector coal mine operators and mine safety inspectors and other
regulatory personnel for the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
(b)Fundamental
skills scholarships
(1)Under the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may
award scholarship to fully or partially pay the tuition costs of eligible
individuals enrolled in 2-year associate's degree programs at community
colleges or other colleges and universities that focus on providing the
fundamental skills and training that is of immediate use to a beginning coal
miner.
(2)The
skills described in paragraph (1) shall include basic math, basic health and
safety, business principles, management and supervisory skills, skills related
to electric circuitry, skills related to heavy equipment operations, and skills
related to communications.
(3)To
be eligible to receive a scholarship under this subsection an individual
shall—
(A)have a high
school diploma or a GED;
(B)have at least 2
years experience in full-time employment in mining or mining-related
activities;
(C)submit to the
Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information; and
(D)demonstrate an
interest in working in the field of mining and performing an internship with
the Mine Safety and Health Administration or the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health Office of Mine Safety.
(c)Mine safety
inspector scholarships
(1)Under the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may
award scholarship to fully or partially pay the tuition costs of eligible
individuals enrolled in undergraduate bachelor's degree programs at accredited
colleges or universities that provide the skills needed to become mine safety
inspectors.
(2)The
skills described in paragraph (1) include skills developed through programs
leading to a degree in mining engineering, civil engineering, mechanical
engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, environmental
engineering, industrial hygiene, occupational health and safety, geology,
chemistry, or other fields of study related to mine safety and health
work.
(3)To
be eligible to receive a scholarship under this subsection an individual
shall—
(A)have a high
school diploma or a GED;
(B)have at least 5
years experience in full-time employment in mining or mining-related
activities;
(C)submit to the
Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information; and
(D)agree to be
employed for a period of at least 5 years at the Mine Safety and Health
Administration or, to repay, on a pro-rated basis, the funds received under
this program, plus interest, at a rate established by the Secretary upon the
issuance of the scholarship.
(d)Advanced
research scholarships
(1)Under the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may
award scholarships to fully or partially pay the tuition costs of eligible
individuals enrolled in undergraduate bachelor's degree, masters degree, and
Ph.D. degree programs at accredited colleges or universities that provide the
skills needed to augment and advance research in mine safety and to broaden,
improve, and expand the universe of candidates for mine safety inspector and
other regulatory positions in the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
(2)The
skills described in paragraph (1) include skills developed through programs
leading to a degree is mining engineering, civil engineering, mechanical
engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, environmental
engineering, industrial hygiene, occupational health and safety, geology,
chemistry, or other fields of study related to mine safety and health
work.
(3)To
be eligible to receive a scholarship under this subsection an individual
shall—
(A)have a bachelor's
degree or equivalent from an accredited 4-year institution;
(B)have at least 5
years experience in full-time employment in underground mining or
mining-related activities; and
(C)submit to the
Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information.
(e)Authorization
of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated such
sums as may be necessary to carry out this
section.
.
13.Research
concerning refuge alternatives
(a)The National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health shall provide for the conduct of
research, including field tests, concerning the utility, practicality,
survivability, and cost of various refuge alternatives in an underground coal
mine environment, including commercially-available portable refuge
chambers.
(b)
(1)Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health shall
prepare and submit to the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of
Representatives a report concerning the results of the research conducted under
subsection (a), including any field tests.
(2)Not later than 180 days after the receipt of the report
under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Labor shall provide a response to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives
containing a description of the actions, if any, that the Secretary intends to
take based upon the report, including proposing regulatory changes, and the
reasons for such actions.
14.
(a)The Secretary of Labor shall establish a program to award
competitive grants for education and training to carry out the purposes of this
section.
(b)It
is the purpose of this section, to provide for the funding of education and
training programs to better identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working
conditions in and around mines.
(c)To
be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall—
(1)be a public or
private nonprofit entity; and
(2)submit to the
Secretary of Labor an application at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the Secretary may require.
(d)Amounts received under a grant under this section shall be
used to establish and implement education and training programs, or to develop
training materials for employers and miners, concerning safety and health
topics in mines, as determined appropriate by the Mine Safety and Health
Administration.
(e)
(1)Grants under this section shall be awarded on an annual
basis.
(2)In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary of
Labor shall give special emphasis to programs and materials that target workers
in smaller mines, including training miners and employers about new Mine Safety
and Health Administration standards, high risk activities, or hazards
identified by such Administration.
(3)In
awarding grants under this section, the Secretary of Labor shall give priority
to the funding of pilot and demonstration projects that the Secretary
determines will provide opportunities for broad applicability for mine
safety.
(f)The
Secretary of Labor shall use not less than 1 percent of the funds made
available to carry out this section in a fiscal year to conduct evaluations of
the projects funded under grants under this section.
(g)Authorization
of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated for
each fiscal year, such sums as may be necessary to carry out this
section.