Gov. Rendell, former Gov. Mark Schweiker, Joseph Sbaffoni, DEP Director of Deep Mine Safety, and Rep. Bob Bastian (R-Somerset) participated in a formal bill signing ceremony this week for the Mine Families First Act.

Video Blog: Mine Families First Act Signed Into Law

House Bill 483, sponsored by Rep. Bastian and passed by the General Assembly unanimously and without changes, establishes the Mine Families First Program modeled after policies adopted by Gov. Schweiker during the Quecreek Mine Rescue in Somerset County.

This is the first state legislation passed in response to the accident that occurred in 2002. Legislation making changes to the deep mine safety law as recommended after the accident has yet to be introduced this session. In 2006 legislation was introduced to make changes and the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held a hearing on the bill, but no action was ever taken by the House or Senate.

“Over 51,000 miners have perished in Pennsylvania, it’s a dangerous occupation,” said Gov. Schweiker. “But nothing is more troubling for those families than to find out they have trouble down below and then find out the families are an afterthought. They need to be a central thought. They need to be at the top of the list of concerns. That’s how we operated in 2002.”

“As we learned firsthand at Quecreek, mine accidents can capture the attention of an entire nation, even the world,” said Gov. Rendell. “Families are confronted with fear and incredible uncertainty during mine disasters. One of the great lessons learned in Somerset County five years ago is that tending to the needs and concerns of these parents, spouses, children and siblings is extremely important during the rescue operation.”

“I am very grateful for the unanimous passage of this legislation by both the House and Senate and to the governor for signing it," said Rep. Bastian. “After careful work was put into the crafting of this bill, we will now have an effective assistance plan in place should another mine emergency take place similar to the one at Quecreek in July of 2002."

Under the Mine Families First Program established in House Bill 483, the Department of Environmental Protection would be required to establish a plan outlining steps to be taken by DEP and mine owners and operators during emergencies. The plan would include:

· immediate notification of mine family members in the event of a mine emergency;

· transportation to the physical location for mine families to gather and obtain information about the mine emergency and rescue efforts;

· security provisions to ensure privacy of mine families at the designated location;

· ensuring that mine families are briefed regularly, before the news media, about the progress of the emergency response;

· a mine families first liaison to serve as a 24-hour point of contact for mine families;

· coordinating the participation of nonprofit and public social service organizations that provide counseling and other social services to mine families; and

· notification and transportation of miner families to medical facilities when miners rescued from mines are given medical care.

A Mine Families First Response and Communications Advisory Council also would be created to help DEP establish the communications plan. The council would include representatives of mine owners, mine labor unions, local emergency response professionals, mental health professionals, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and two members of the public.

On July 24, 2002 miners broke through into an abandoned, water-filled mine flooding the Quecreek Mine with over 50 million gallons of water. Nine miners scrambled to safety, but nine were trapped in a pocket of air in the dark, cold, water-filled mine. They were rescued four days later through the combined efforts of state and federal mine rescue agencies and hundreds of workers and volunteers.

Video Blog: Mine Families First Act Signed Into Law

NewsClips: Schweiker Honored at Capitol

New Law Aids Families of Trapped Miners

Link: Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation

10/5/2007