MARKETS

MSHA lengthens ETS comment period

THE US Mine Safety and Health Administration announced Wednesday that it has extended the comment...

Donna Schmidt

The new deadline for public comment is June 29, 2006. The ETS was originally published May 9 with a May 30 comment close.

MSHA cited industry feedback as the reason for the amendment.

“[We] received a request to extend the ... period for 60 days so that interested parties could adequately address issues contained in MSHA’s opening statement,” agency acting administrator David Dye said in the announcement.

Given the new comment deadline, MSHA now states the final ruling will be published no later than December 9 of this year, exactly nine months after the original ETS publication.

The amendment is only the third such move in MSHA’s 28-year history.

Significant items included in the standards, according to MSHA, include immediate agency notification of any underground or surface operation accidents within 15 minutes of realisation, storage and use of self-contained self-rescue devices (SCSRs), training for evacuations and the maintenance of underground communication.

Written comments are to be submitted to the agency’s Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances, 1100 Wilson Blvd. Room 2350, Arlington, Va. 22209-3939; fax: 202-693-9441. Comments are also accepted at www.regulations.gov or by e-mail to zzMSHA-comments@dol.gov.

For further information, MSHA Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances acting director Patricia Silvey may be reached at (202) 693-9440 or at silvey.patricia@dol.gov.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production