New rules were proposed Thursday, for example, that would improve the effectiveness of mine rescue teams, those brave individuals trained to go into a mine where a fire, explosion or cave-in has occurred and to conduct the search for miners still inside.

These proposed regulations, which Congress ordered the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to have in place by year's end, would not have had much impact on the Aug. 6 Crandall Canyon disaster.

There was little need for the mine rescue teams' specialized expertise at entering dangerous environments filled with smoke and toxic gases produced by an explosion or fire. At Crandall Canyon, rescue teams encountered only tunnels filled nearly to the brim with coal blown out of the mine's walls in a catastrophic implosion.

That left the re-entry effort to more-traditional mining techniques. But as crews cut their way back in toward the six miners trapped deep in the mine by the initial collapse, a second outburst on Aug. 16 demolished the extensive roof- and wall-support systems that had been installed in the tunnel, killing three miners and injuring six.

Even at this early stage of MSHA's investigation, it seems likely that one of its outcomes will be a recommendation that agency officials revisit regulations governing the removal of weight-supporting coal pillars in mines at great depths below the surface.

But even though the proposed mine rescue teams would not have applied in Crandall Canyon's case, they affect all Utah mines and address the response to calamities that could happen at each and every one.

Revisions to the mine rescue regulations were stimulated largely by problems evident in the response to a Jan. 2, 2006, explosion in the Sago mine in Upshur County, W.Va.

The explosion at 6:26 a.m. killed one miner outright. A dozen others survived the blast, but the lethal carbon monoxide it unleashed forced them to retreat deeper into the mine and to wait behind barricades for help to arrive.

Help did not reach them for 41 hours. By then, all but one of the trapped miners had succumbed to carbon monoxide asphyxiation.

MSHA's investigation showed that the first rescue teams did not even make it to the mine site until noon on Jan. 2, 5 1/2 hours after the initial explosion. Survivors of the victims were traumatized by the knowledge that many of their loved ones might have survived if mine rescuers had arrived earlier.

Consequently, MSHA's proposed regulation would require each of Utah's active mines to have two, five-member mine rescue teams, one more than presently required.

Rescue team members also would be required to live closer to their mine so they could assemble at a prearranged meeting point and be on site within an hour. The old rule gave them two hours to reach the mine.

Individual mine rescue team members would have to go through more-rigorous training than before, if the proposed rule is adopted. Instead of 40 hours of annual training, each team member would have to go through 64 hours - and be subjected to more-realistic disaster conditions in at least two local mine rescue competitions each year.

"MSHA would consider a two-day contest, with a different competition and simulated mine rescue exercise on each day, as two contests if the team participated on both days," the proposed regulation said.

As drafted, the rule requires mine rescue instructors to have more personal experience in underground mining, including a year as a rescue team member.

One provision that might have applied to Crandall Canyon involves a proposal that on every shift in which miners are working underground, that one person be designated by the mine operator to take charge in an emergency.

"MSHA is also proposing to require that the responsible person be trained annually in mine emergency response coordination and communication," the rule said, including "contacting emergency personnel and communicating appropriate information related to the emergency."

At Crandall Canyon, University of Utah seismologists notified the Emery County Sheriff's Office of potential problems in the mine before anyone from the mining company, UtahAmerican Energy Inc. - even though the seismologists drove from their Wasatch Front homes to the university, where they verified their information on the magnitude of the collapse before calling authorities.

"The responsible person must receive training in the following: organizing a command center, directing firefighting personnel, deploying firefighting equipment, directing [and deploying] mine rescue personnel, establishing a fresh air base, providing for mine gas sampling and analysis, establishing security [and] initiating an emergency mine evacuation," the proposal said.

MSHA calculated that the proposed regulation would cost 653 underground coal mines a cumulative total of $3.1 million to implement - or about $7,300 per mine. It would provide additional protection to an estimated 42,597 miners and 8,250 nonoffice contractors working at those mines.

The Utah Mining Association has not had time to evaluate the proposal yet, said president David Litvin, also a member of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s newly appointed Utah Mine Safety Commission.

"On a cursory review, what is being proposed does not look troublesome. But sometimes the way a proposal is written creates some difficulty," he said. "Our safety committee will do a comprehensive review of what is proposed."

Still, Litvin added, "the ultimate goal of the association and all the mine operators in the state is to ensure as safe of operations as possible. We will review the proposals in that light and will see if they make sense to enhance mine safety."

mikeg@sltrib.com

Beefing up rescue teams

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will hold a hearing Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City to hear comments on new rules drafted to make mine rescue teams more effective in dealing with emergencies.

Requests to speak at the hearing must be made five days in advance by contacting MSHA's Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances at:

* By telephone: 202-693-9440

* By fax: 202-693-9441

* By mail: 1100 Wilson Blvd., Room 2350, Arlington, Va., 22209-3939

An interfaith memorial service for the nine victims of the Crandall Canyon mine disaster will be held at 6 p.m. today on the football field of Canyon View Junior High School in Huntington.

The ceremony will feature remarks by Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Bishop John C. Wester of Utah's Catholic diocese; Carl Sitterud, pastor of the Desert Edge Christian Church in Huntington; and Rep. Jim Matheson.

"Now is a time for healing," said Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who organized the event along with Huntington Mayor Hilary Gordon. "It is my hope the entire state will rally around the family and friends of the lost miners, in addition to the community of Huntington, and help them find peace during this difficult time."