On June 15, 2006, in response to a series of mining disasters that claimed the lives of 47 miners in 2006, the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act passed the Senate unanimously and was enacted.
Currently, the Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (S-MINER) Act of 2007 (H.R. 2768) has cleared the committee review process and was passed at the House of Representatives in January.
Skelly and Loy has spent considerable time recently evaluating the impacts of the MINER Act and the potential impacts of the S-MINER Act. The laws and subsequent Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations are having a big impact on the entire underground coal mining industry.
Although there are substantial impacts on longwall mining operations, which increase production costs, it appears that longwall operations may have gained some advantages over room and pillar mines because the higher extraction rates will cause them to advance less rapidly than room and pillar mining operations.
This will reduce the ongoing quantities of such things as new lifelines, communication cables, and self-contained self-rescue (SCSR) devices that will need to be added. However, two areas that will have negative effects on longwall operations are the sealing of abandoned mine areas, and the use of belt air for intake ventilation.
Sealing of abandoned mine areas is one of the major concerns for longwall mines since the final requirements of the Act still remain uncertain. The current standards allow seals which will withstand 50psi to be used where the atmosphere behind the seal is inert, or 120psi when the atmosphere behind the seals is not controlled and sampled. An ongoing study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) continues to lean toward increasing these requirements.
Most longwall mine operators are opting for the 120psi-type seals because they are less likely to be able to control the atmosphere in the gob area behind the seals. This will mean that longwall seals, although fewer, will cost more.
The use of belt air for intake ventilation is also being evaluated and may ultimately be prohibited. If the S-MINER Act, as currently drafted, is enacted the prohibition will be definite.
This will have a significant impact on longwall mines because the additional air from head gate belt entries reduces the number of entries required. This would pose a serious problem, particularly for mines employing two entry gate developments such as many deep longwall mines, primarily in the western US.
These mines have experienced serious ground control problems when attempting to drive wider gate development systems. There are substantial arguments that the belt air can be used safely, however, more effective monitoring and control systems may be justified.
Although some changes were needed, the industry is faced with rapidly changing regulations. Political pressure and public opinion are pressing for more strenuous requirements even before the currently developed technology changes have had an opportunity to be implemented and tested.
One of the greatest challenges the industry has today is to become more proactive in its involvement with NIOSH, MSHA, and supply and equipment manufacturers in an attempt to find and implement viable solutions that will enable the operations to continue to function safely and profitably.
An even greater challenge to all of us involved in mining is to find ways to abate, at least to some extent, the negative public opinion of our industry. As an industry, we need to find ways to publicize the importance of our contribution and our desire to produce in a safe and responsible manner.
Published in the March 2008 Coal USA Magazine
