The Nation - News from June 15, 1987

The General Accounting Office will investigate possible safety lapses by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration in connection with a 1984 mine fire that killed 27 people, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, will probe the agency’s enforcement of safety regulations and policy related to the Dec. 19, 1984, Wilberg Mine fire in central Utah at the request of Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). The agency last March cited Emery Mining and mine owner Utah Power & Light Co. for 34 safety violations, including nine it said directly contributed to the fire deaths. In a separate request, Hatch asked the agency to address apparent inconsistencies in the testimony of an agency official regarding Wilberg, the newspaper reported.