Kasunic hopes tragedy advances updated mine safety bill
An area legislator is hoping the tragedy in the Sago Mine in Tallmansville, W.Va., will move state legislators into action to pass an updated mine safety bill for Pennsylvania. State Sen. Richard J. Kasunic (D-Dunbar Twp.) said while he is devastated by the loss of life in West Virginia, he is calling on the legislature to move forward with hearings regarding Senate Bill 949, which he began drafting in 2002 following the Quecreek Mine rescue in Somerset County.
“We are trying to bring our regulations and laws into line with the 21st century,” Kasunic said Thursday. “The last time the laws were changed was in 1961 and there have been a lot of changes and advancements since then.”
The legislation was thrust into the limelight after 12 miners died in an explosion that rocked the West Virginia mine at 6:30 Monday morning.
More than 40 hours later, 11 of the men’s bodies were found at the deepest point of the mine, about 2.5 miles from the mine entrance, behind a mine curtain stretched across an opening to keep out carbon monoxide.
The 12th victim was found near the blast site and another man, found with the 11 victims, Randal McCloy Jr., 26, of Simpson, W.Va., was discovered clinging to life among the victims.
He was transferred from Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he is listed in critical condition suffering from oxygen deprivation.
“Unfortunately, it took a tragedy in another state to refocus on this. When the world was watching and saw a miracle happen a few years ago, the priority was to make our mines safer,” Kasunic said. “But now, we are refocused and the real tragedy would be if we do nothing at all.”
Kasunic began drafting the legislation after the Quecreek Mine rescue and recognizing that the state laws are somewhat antiquated, he decided to try and get rid of some old laws and establish some new ones to make area mines safer.
“We have some old stuff on the books – laws about mules in the mines, steam powered pumps, safety lamps with a flame – some old laws,” Kasunic said. “We need to make our mines safe for the people who apply their skills in the bowls of the Earth every day. My job is to try to do what I can legislatively as safe as possible. We can never eliminate accidents and tragedies, but we can make the industry safer.”
Kasunic said coal mining is a viable industry in the commonwealth, noting that his father and grandfather were both coal miners.
Kasunic said the legislation includes requiring further distance between new mines and existing mines, as well as broadening the authority of state and federal mine safety bodies.
Kasunic said the bill also includes a call for better mine mapping, including a central map database and establishing a funding mechanism for mine rescue crews for further protection and training.
He also said the legislation would create a mechanism for the state to recoup the cost of a mine rescue operation from mine operators, increase enforcement of penalties for negligence and establish a three-member safety board, including members from the United Mine Workers of America, the coal industry and the Department of Environmental Protection.
A hearing on Bill 949 is scheduled for Jan. 31 in a Senate environmental committee.