Coal mines must provide 4 days of air - AP

[Eugene]

Coal mines must provide 4 days of air

By TIM HUBER, Associated Press Writer

Thu Feb 8, 10:55 PM ET

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Underground coal mines must provide up to four days of breathable
air to keep miners alive in emergencies such as an explosion or a tunnel collapse, federal
regulators announced Thursday.

A law enacted last year after a string of deadly accidents, including the deaths of 12
miners at the Sago Mine in January 2006, required mine operators to provide enough air
to keep miners alive in an emergency but did not specify how much.

On Thursday, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration gave mine operators
several options to comply with the requirement.

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Mine operators have 30 days to submit plans to the agency, which has been criticized
by the United Mine Workers labor union and members of Congress for not implementing
the law quickly enough after it took effect in June.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070209/ap_on_re_us/mine_safety_air_3