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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Camille "Bud" George |
  
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Rep. George: Persistence pays off for superior mine-safety bill
HARRISBURG, July 1 – State Rep. Camille "Bud" George, D-74 of Clearfield County, today praised a bolstered mine-safety law, saying persistence paid off for Pennsylvania’s more than 4,200 coal miners.
"Some were satisfied with compromising on miner safety to move an overdue bill forward," Rep. George said. "However, some things are worth digging your heels in for, and mine safety is near the top of the list."
Rep. George said the House today voted unanimously to approve Senate Bill 949 and send it to Gov. Edward G. Rendell for his signature. The legislation is the first major upgrade to the state’s Bituminous Coal Mine Act of 1961 and comes almost six years after nine miners were rescued in the Quecreek Mine Accident in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Rep. George, as majority chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, shepherded key safety amendments supported by the bill’s author, Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-32 of Fayette and Somerset counties.
"The changes approved by the House environmental committee dealt with safety issues critical to miners," Rep. George said. "The issues should never be subject to labor negotiations, as was suggested, but were an integral part of a mine-safety law that Pennsylvania needs and delivered."
The amendments bolstered language governing evacuations, escape routes, certification standards and the right of miners’ representatives to accompany state inspectors underground.
Key provisions of SB 949 include:
● Creation of a Board of Coal Mine Safety to implement safety regulations swiftly as new technologies emerge;
● Emergency contracting provisions for rescues;
● Making the mine owner or operator responsible for safety compliance at a mine;
● Increasing to 500 feet the distance from which a bituminous mine operator must perform advanced drilling when approaching an adjacent mine.
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CONTACT: Matthew Maciorkoski |