[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24338-24339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2160]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration


Technical Study Panel on the Utilization of Belt Air and the 
Composition and Fire Retardant Properties of Belt Materials in 
Underground Coal Mining

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice informs interested persons of the third meeting of 
the Technical Study Panel (Panel) on the Utilization of Belt Air and 
the Composition and Fire Retardant Properties of Belt Materials in 
Underground Coal Mining. The public is invited to attend.

DATES: The meeting will be held on May 16-17, 2007. The meetings will 
start at 9 a.m. each day and conclude by 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting location is the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel at Temple 
Square, 122 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. (Telephone: 
801-521-0130).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia W. Silvey, Director, Office 
of Standards, Regulations, and Variances, Mine Safety and Health 
Administration, 1100 Wilson Boulevard, Room 2350, Arlington, Virginia 
22209; [email protected] (internet e-mail), 202-693-9440 (voice), 
or 202-693-9441 (facsimile).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Panel was created under section 11 of 
the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 
(Pub. L. 109-236). The purpose of the Panel is to provide independent 
scientific and engineering review and recommendations concerning the

[[Page 24339]]

utilization of belt air and the composition and fire retardant 
properties of belt materials in underground coal mining. By December 
2007, the Panel must submit a report to the Secretaries of Labor and 
Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor and Pensions, and the House Committee on Education and the 
Workforce. The first meeting of the Panel was held in Washington, DC on 
January 9-10, 2007. The second meeting of the Panel was held in 
Coraopolis, PA on March 28-30, 2007.
    The agenda for the third meeting will include:
    (1) Belt air ventilation issues.
    (2) Ground control/convergence issues surrounding two-entry 
development in western underground coal mines.
    (3) MSHA Aracoma Alma Mine 1 accident investigation 
report.
    (4) Public input.
    The panel will allocate time at the end of each day for 
presentations by members of the public. MSHA expects the amount of time 
allocated for public participation to be approximately one hour, but it 
may vary based on the interest expressed by the public. MSHA will also 
accept written submissions.
    MSHA requests that persons planning to participate in the public 
input session of this meeting notify the Agency at least one week prior 
to the meeting date. There will be an opportunity for other persons, 
who have not made prior arrangements with MSHA and wish to speak, to 
register at the beginning of the meeting each day. Speakers should 
limit their presentations to five minutes, but may supplement oral 
remarks with written submissions. MSHA will incorporate written 
submissions into the official record, which includes a verbatim 
transcript, and make them available to the public. The Panel Chairman 
will moderate the public participation session, and panelists may ask 
the speakers questions.
    The public may inspect the official record of the meetings at the 
MSHA address listed above under the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. In addition, this information will be posted on the Agency's 
single source webpage titled ``The Technical Study Panel on the 
Utilization of Belt Air and the Composition and Fire Retardant 
Properties of Belt Materials in Underground Coal Mining Single Source 
Page.'' The Single Source page is located at http://www.msha.gov/BeltAir/BeltAir.asp.

    Dated: April 27, 2007.
Robert M. Friend,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 07-2160 Filed 4-27-07; 3:12 pm]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P