House OKs Measure to Improve Mine Safety

It will never be as safe as a desk job, but lawmakers hope coal mining will become less risky under changes they ordered Wednesday.

In a 381-37 vote, the House endorsed a bill requiring mine operators to put more oxygen supplies underground and to move rescue teams closer to mines.

The bill, which previously won Senate backing, now goes to President Bush for his signature. In a statement Wednesday, he said the legislation would complement the administration’s efforts to enhance mine safety.

A string of fatal accidents in West Virginia and Kentucky prompted lawmakers to act. So far this year, 33 coal miners have been killed in the U.S., compared with 22 deaths throughout 2005, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

“This has been a dark, mournful year for our nation’s coal miners,” said Rep. Nick J. Rahall II (D-W.Va.).

The measure would require miners to have at least a two-hour supply of oxygen -- an increase from a one-hour standard. It also would require mine operators to leave air packs at various points in mines and to perform routine checks on them.

Three miners killed in an accident at a Kentucky mine last month survived an explosion but died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Eleven miners died of carbon monoxide poisoning at West Virginia’s Sago Mine in January.

In both of those mines, nontraditional seals made of lightweight fiberglass blocks had been used to close off abandoned sections of the mines. The new legislation will require those seals to be strengthened.

Rescue teams must be within an hour of mines, rather than two hours, and new devices to track and communicate with trapped miners must be in place within three years.

Separately, Senate leaders worked to force the confirmation of Bush nominee Richard Stickler to oversee mine safety. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) had blocked the nomination, saying he wanted more assurances of Stickler’s leadership skills.