Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 30, 1993 TAG: 9309300199
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY MARGARET EDDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
"We traveled a long way to see nothing," said Hale, a coal miner from Dante, rising Wednesday to confront members of a legislative committee overhauling the state's mine safety laws.
At a public hearing some weeks ago, he felt the committee was committed to toughening those laws, Hale said. "Today, it seems like there is an unwillingness. . . . I'm disappointed and I think the people of Southmountain are going to be disappointed."
Hale's assessment, quickly rebutted by the committee chairman - Del. Alson Smith, D-Winchester, came at the close of a meeting in which there was much debate but little decision-making.
Set against the backdrop of the December 1992 mining disaster in which eight men died in a Southmoutain Coal Co. mine in Wise County, the committee is conducting the first comprehensive review of state mining laws in almost three decades. Their work is a pressing concern to owners, miners and United Mine Workers officials.
Wednesday's meeting was expected to be dominated by licensing and inspection issues. Instead, almost the entire session was devoted to questions about the jurisdiction of the mining laws.
Even there, action on several questions - including whether the state should monitor mine company operations located away from the mine site - was postponed.
Action also was delayed on the sole licensing question taken up by the committee. At issue was whether the purpose of mine operating licenses is to collect revenue or to give mine regulators an oversight tool. Unlike most state agencies that issue licenses, the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy cannot deny or revoke licenses even to problem operators.
The department's only recourse is to take such operators to court.
"The good operators have nothing to fear," said Del. Clarence Phillips, D-St. Paul. "It looks like to me you'd like to clean up those bad operators."
But several committee members asked that a vote be delayed until they have more information about how the revocation process would work.
Smith denied that the committee is stalemated, and said much was accomplished in the debate. And he warned the visiting miners: "You think it's confusing here, wait till you get to the [House] committee" on mining.
Max Kennedy, a UMW official monitoring the committee's work, said he remains optimistic that the safety laws will be tightened.
Another meeting has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 6 at the General Assembly building.
by CNB