[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 204 (Monday, October 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54391-54393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26136]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Petitions for Modification

    The following parties have filed petitions to modify the 
application of mandatory safety standards under section 101(c) of the 
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.

1. McElroy Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-138-C]

    McElroy Coal Company, Consol Plaza, 1800 Washington Road, 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15241-1421 has filed a petition to modify the 
application of 30 CFR 75.1002 (location of trolley wires, trolley 
feeder wires, high-voltage cables and transformers) to its McElroy Mine 
(I.D. No. 46-01437) located in Marshall County, West Virginia. The 
petitioner proposes to use high-voltage (4,160 volts) cables inby the 
last open crosscut to supply power to longwall mining equipment. The 
petitioner asserts that the proposed alternative method would provide 
at least the same measure of protection as would the mandatory 
standard.

2. Megan, Inc.

[Docket No. M-95-139-C]

    Megan, Inc., HC 83, Box 121B, Cannon, Kentucky 40923 has filed a 
petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.342 (methane monitors) 
to its No. 2 Mine (I.D. No. 15-17568) located in Whitley County, 
Kentucky. The petitioner proposes to use hand-held continuous-duty 
methane and oxygen indicators instead of machine-mounted methane 
monitors on three-wheel tractors with drag bottom buckets. The 
petitioner asserts that the proposed alternative method would provide 
at least the same measure of protection as would the mandatory 
standard.

3. Peabody Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-140-C]

    Peabody Coal Company, 1951 Barrett Court, P.O. Box 1990, Henderson, 
Kentucky 42420-1990 has filed a petition to modify the application of 
30 CFR 75.364(b)(2) (weekly examination) to its Camp No. 11 Mine (I.D. 
No. 15-08357) located in Union County, Kentucky. Due to hazardous roof 
conditions in certain areas of the return air course, the area cannot 
be traveled in its entirety. The petitioner proposes to have a 
certified person examine for methane, oxygen, and the quantity of air 
in the No. 8 (outside) intake entry inby and outby the roof fall on a 
weekly basis and record the results in a book kept on the surface at 
the mine and available to interested parties. The petitioner asserts 
that the proposed alternative method would provide at least the same 
measure of protection as would the mandatory standard.

4. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-141-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1400 
(hoisting equipment; general) to its Little Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-
08332) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner 
proposes to use a slope conveyance (gunboat) in transporting 

[[Page 54392]]
persons without installing safety catches or other no less effective 
devices but instead use an increased rope strength/safety factor and 
secondary safety rope connection in place of such devices. The 
petitioner asserts that the proposed alternative method would provide 
at least the same measure of protection as would the mandatory 
standard.

5. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-142-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.332 
(b)(1) & (b)(2) (working sections and working places) to its Little 
Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-08332) located in Schuylkill County, 
Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to use air passing through 
inaccessible abandoned workings and additional areas not examined and 
which is currently mixing with the air in the intake haulage slope to 
ventilate the active working section, and to ensure the maintenance of 
air quality through the sampling of section intake air at the gangway 
level during the preshift and on-shift examinations of carbon dioxide, 
methane, and oxygen deficiency. The petitioner asserts that the 
proposed alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

6. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-143-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.335 
(construction of seals) to its Little Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-08332) 
located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner requests a 
modification of the standard to permit alternative methods of 
construction using wooden materials of moderate size and weight due to 
the difficulty in accessing previously driven headings and breasts 
containing inaccessible abandoned workings; to accept a design criteria 
in the 10 psi range; and to permit the water trap to be installed in 
the gangway seal and sampling tube in the monkey seal for seals 
installed in pairs. The petitioner asserts that the proposed 
alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

7. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-144-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.360 
(preshift examination) to its Little Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-08332) 
located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to 
visually examine each seal for physical damage from the slope gunboat 
during the preshift examination after an air quantity reading is taken 
inby the intake portal and to test for the quantity and quality of air 
at the intake air split locations off the slope in the gangway portion 
of the working section. The petitioner proposes to physically examine 
the entire length of the slope once a month. The petitioner asserts 
that the proposed alternative method would provide at least the same 
measure of protection as would the mandatory standard.

8. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-145-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 
75.364(b)(1), (4) and (5) (weekly examination) to its Little Vein Slope 
(I.D. No. 36-08332) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Due to 
hazardous conditions and roof falls, certain areas of the intake 
haulage slope and primary escapeway cannot be traveled safely. The 
petitioner proposes to examine these areas from the gunboat/slope car 
with an alternative air quality evaluation at the section's intake 
level, and to travel and thoroughly examine these areas for hazardous 
conditions once a month. The petitioner asserts that the proposed 
alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

9. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-146-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1002-
1 (location of other electric equipment; requirements for 
permissibility) to its Little Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-08332) located in 
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to use 
nonpermissible electric equipment within 150 feet of the pillar line 
and to suspend equipment operation anytime the methane concentration at 
the equipment reaches 0.5 percent, either during operation or during a 
preshift examination. The petitioner asserts that the proposed 
alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

10. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-147-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1100-
2 (quantity and location of firefighting equipment) to its Little Vein 
Slope (I.D. No. 36-08332) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. 
The petitioner proposes to use only portable fire extinguishers to 
replace existing requirements where rock dust, water cars, and other 
water storage are not practical. The petitioner asserts that the 
proposed alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

11. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-148-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17923 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 
75.1200(d) & (i) (mine map) to its Little Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-
08332) located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner 
proposes to use cross-sections instead of contour lines through the 
intake slope, at locations of rock tunnel connections between veins, 
and at 1,000-foot intervals of advance from the intake slope and to 
limit the required mapping of the mine workings above and below to 
those present within 100 feet of the veins being mined except when 
veins are interconnected to other veins beyond the 100-foot limit 
through rock tunnel. The petitioner asserts that the proposed 
alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

12. Three Way Coal Company

[Docket No. M-95-149-C]

    Three Way Coal Company, 117 School Rowe, Branchdale, Pennsylvania 
17932 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1202-
1(a) (temporary notations, revisions, and supplements) to its Little 
Vein Slope (I.D. No. 36-08332) located in Schuylkill County, 
Pennsylvania. The petitioner proposes to revise and supplement mine 
maps annually instead of every 6 months, as required, and to update 
maps daily by hand notations. The petitioner asserts that the proposed 
alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

[[Page 54393]]


13. Keystone Coal Mining Corporation

[Docket No. M-95-150-C]

    Keystone Coal Mining Corporation, 655 Church Street, Indiana, 
Pennsylvania 15701 has filed a petition to modify the application of 30 
CFR 75.1103-4(a) (automatic fire sensor and warning device systems; 
installations; minimum requirements) to its Emilie No. 1 Mine (I.D. No. 
36-00821) located in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. The petitioner 
proposes to install a low- level carbon monoxide detection system in 
all belt entries where a monitoring system identifies a sensor location 
instead of each belt flight. The petitioner asserts that the proposed 
alternative method would provide at least the same measure of 
protection as would the mandatory standard.

14. Heatherly Mining, Inc.

[Docket No. M-95-151-C]

    Heatherly Mining, Inc., P.O. Box 550, Henryetta, Oklahoma 74437 has 
filed a petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.1700 (oil and 
gas wells) to its Pollyanna No. 8 Mine (I.D. No. 34-01787) located in 
Le Flore County, Oklahoma. The petitioner proposes to plug and mine 
through certain abandoned wells which lie in the path of engineered 
mine workings. The petitioner asserts that the proposed alternative 
method would provide at least the same measure of protection as would 
the mandatory standard.

Request for Comments

    Persons interested in these petitions may furnish written comments. 
These comments must be filed with the Office of Standards, Regulations 
and Variances, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Room 627, 4015 
Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22203. All comments must be 
postmarked or received in that office on or before November 22, 1995. 
Copies of these petitions are available for inspection at that address.

    Dated: October 13, 1995.
Patricia W. Silvey,
Director, Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances.
[FR Doc. 95-26136 Filed 10-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P