EKB News

The sponsor of legislation to toughen mine safety laws in Kentucky filed an amendment on Friday in an effort to get portions of a bill restored, including one that would provide methane detectors to every coal miner. State Rep. Brent Yonts, D-Greenville, said the bill had been gutted by a legislative committee and needs to be amended to provide needed protections for coal miners. Besides the methane detectors, the amendment would restore language to require coal operators to keep a vehicle near working crews so that injured miners can get to the surface quickly. It also would require certified engineers to design the barriers used to seal off abandoned mine tunnels where methane can built up. Two provisions kept in the bill would require two medics to be on duty at underground mines, and would double the number of annual state inspections from three to six.