The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-164) amended the
Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969
The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, U.S. Public Law 91-173, generally referred to as the Coal Act, was passed by the 91st United States Congressional session and enacted into law by the 37th President of the United States Richard ...
. It can be found in the United States Code under Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining, Chapter 22, Mine Safety and Health.
The S. 717
legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...
was passed by the 95th United States Congressional session and enacted into law by the
39th President of the United States Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
on November 9, 1977.
The
law of the United States
The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as v ...
enacted on November 9, 1977 took effect one hundred and twenty days later.
Main provisions
*combination of coal, metal and non metal mines under single legislation
*retention of separate health and safety standards for coal mining
*transfer of enforcement from the Department of Interior to the Department of Labor
*renaming of the Mine Enforcement Safety Administration (MESA) as
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) () is a large agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) to enforce compliance with mandatory safe ...
(MSHA)
*four annual inspections of underground coal mines
*two annual inspections of all surface mines
*elimination of advisory standards for metal and nonmetal mines
*discontinuation of state enforcement plans
*mandating of miner training
*requirement of mine rescue teams for all underground mines
*provision of increased involvement of miners and their representatives in health and safety activities
See also
*
Coal mining in the United States
*
List of coal mines in the United States
The following table lists the coal mines in the United States that produced at least 4,000,000 short tons of coal.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were 853 coal mines in the U.S. in 2015, producing a total of 8 ...
*
Mining accident
A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. ...
*
Occupational Safety and Health Act
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is a US labor law governing the federal law of occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by P ...
References
External links
Indexed copy of ActUS Code
''"Reflections" Mining History''
a short 2002 documentary on the history of American coal mining safety, leading up to and including the 1977 act, produced by the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration.
1977 in law
95th United States Congress
United States federal health legislation
United States federal public land legislation
Whistleblower protection legislation
Mine safety
Coal mining law
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