[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 74 (Monday, June 12, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1119-E1120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      THE MINE IMPROVEMENT AND NEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 7, 2006

  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased the U.S. House of 
Representatives is debating much needed legislation to improve mining 
safety across this nation. S. 2803, the Mine Improvement and New 
Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006, is a compromise bill that 
received unanimous support in the U.S. Senate and is endorsed by 
industry and mining workers alike. While no legislation is perfect, 
this bill goes a long way to protect the brave workers who help secure 
America's energy needs.
  The MINER Act includes a provision that is of particular importance 
to my home state of Utah. Section 11 of S. 2803 authorizes the 
establishment of an independent scientific and engineering review of 
belt air utilization and the composition and fire retardant properties 
of belt materials in underground coal mining.
  Utah's situation with respect to belt air is unique. Utah's coal 
mines are under deep cover with greater than 1,500 feet of overburden; 
for enhanced safety, this requires the use of two-entry gate roads for 
longwall panels. This means only two tunnels lead to the longwall 
equipment compared to three or four tunnels leading to the longwall 
equipment found in most longwall mines in the East. Under such deep 
overburden, additional tunnels or entries would lead to unstable and 
unsafe conditions.
  In any longwall mining system design, one of the entries must be used 
for the conveyor belt system to transport coal out of the mine. In 
Utah, where only two-entry mines are practical, both entries must be 
used to deliver enough fresh air to the longwall machine to properly 
control dust and methane to meet ventilation health standards.
  Due to the importance of belt air use to Utah's mining industry, it 
is my hope the panel called for in the MINER Act is expeditiously 
convened and uses sound science to properly evaluate the use of belt 
air in underground coal mining.
  In addition, Section 14 of S. 2803 establishes the ``Brookwood-Sago 
Mine Safety Grants'' program to help provide funding for education and 
training programs concerning safety and health topics in mines.
  In my District, a consortium of local business and education 
interests recently announced the establishment of the Western Energy 
Training Center in Price, Utah with the help of a two-year Department 
of Labor grant. The mission of the Center is to educate and train 
workers to fill jobs for the mining and energy related industries, 
workers who are badly needed throughout the West. The Center will 
educate and train future workers with a focus

[[Page E1120]]

on improving both the technical experience of the labor force and 
worker commitment to safety.
  The ``Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants'' program is poised to become 
an invaluable resource for institutions like the Western Energy 
Training Center in improving the safety record of America's energy 
industry.
  The MINER Act is the first substantial overhaul of our nation's 
mining laws in almost three decades and is an essential step to 
remedying the many health and safety shortfalls facing coal miners 
today. I urge all of my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives 
to support the passage of this legislation.

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