Sponsors Withdraw Bill that Would Join Mine Agency, OSHA.(Originated from The Salt Lake Tribune)

Mar. 30--The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is secure for now.

Rep. Cass Ballenger, R-N.C., recently withdrew his bill that would have merged the agency into a streamlined Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Vice President Al Gore told the AFL-CIO in late February that President Clinton would veto it if it passed Congress.

The bill was opposed by MSHA Director J. Davitt McAteer and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union. Even industry officials were lukewarm. They felt the unique mining workplace warranted a separate safety agency, but saw merit in combining some aspects of the agencies' operations to reduce redundant regulations.

"The fact that MSHA has been permitted to focus on mining has been a key reason for the success in improving health and safety in America's most dangerous occupation," said McAteer.

Accident fatalities have decreased 77 percent since the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act became law in 1969, authorizing MSHA to inspect mines and impose penalties for unsafe working conditions.

"Ballenger would have devastated safety in the coal industry, along with everybody OSHA is trying to protect," said Mike Dalpiaz, head of the Price-based UMWA district that includes Utah. "He wanted to put mine safety back into the era of the 1960s. We couldn't allow that."

National union officials organized a yearlong campaign against the bill, which would have reduced annual inspections of underground mines from four to one; prevented inspectors from closing unsafe mines; and enabled mine operators to avoid fines if safety violations discovered by inspectors were corrected later.

The last provision was one of several that industry officials thought was reasonable because it would accomplish the agency's goal of making mines safer.

Ballenger pledged to pursue specific reforms through a "narrower bill." Aide Patrick Murphy said it likely would subject regulations to cost-benefit analysis, allow fine reductions for fixed violations and eliminate citations for "paperwork" errors.

"The mining industry will continue efforts to pass such legislation," said National Mining Association President Richard Lawson.

Union officials plan to remain vigilant and oppose future efforts targeting MSHA or OSHA.

"We can't afford to let our guard down," said UMWA president Cecil Roberts. "The only way to stop anti-worker legislation for good is to defeat anti-worker politicians in November."

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