Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the head of the House Committee on Education and Labor, also says he plans to hold a hearing on the Crandall Canyon mine tragedy the first week in October.

Miller sent a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao late Thursday asking her to direct the Mine Safety and Health Administration to check that every mine has an emergency plan that is "fully compliant with the law" and "fully implemented."

The Crandall Canyon mine, where three miners have already died trying to rescue six other miners now feared dead, had an emergency plan approved by MSHA, Miller said in the letter. But the provision for breathable-air devices was only "on order" and not available.

MSHA had given the mine operator until Aug. 12 to comply, a deadline that turned out to be six days after the Utah disaster.

"This example raises serious concerns about the implementation status of items contained in [ERPs, or emergency-response plans] at mines nationwide," Miller wrote.

"If ERPs are not being implemented on schedule, it poses an immediate and substantial risk to thousands of miners."

Miller also asked for copies of every response plan approved by MSHA.

His request came on the same day Miller's Senate counterpart, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., demanded a pile of documents from the Labor Department regarding the Crandall Canyon mine and other mines. Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, wants the documents by Sept. 6.

Another Senate subcommittee plans a hearing on the mine disaster on Sept. 5.

tburr@sltrib.com