Meetings of the Pennsylvania Bituminous Mine Safety
Advisory Committee will be chaired by the Director of the Bureau
of Deep Mine Safety (Bureau) or his designee. Advisory Committee
members may designate a substitute in their absence.
Regular meetings will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of the
even-numbered months. (February, April, June, August,
October, December)
The chairman may schedule special meetings of the full
Advisory Committee at any time with at least two (2) weeks'
notice.
Only Committee members, designated Bureau staff members
and Bureau attorneys may address the chair and participate
in the committee's deliberations during the meeting.
The agenda may contain "open discussion" at
which time the audience may question the presenter(s) on
relevant agenda topics or provide technical information
viewpoints for the committee's consideration.
Copies of the meeting agenda will be sent to all
Committee members at least 10 days prior to a regularly-scheduled
meeting. Copies will be made available to the public upon request.
Minutes from the last meeting will be sent to all
committee members within ten (10) days of the meeting. Committee
members will have 10 days to review the minutes and make comments
to the chairman. If no comments are received during this
time, the minutes will be considered approved. If changes
are required, the Committee will be forwarded these changes
for their consideration. The chairman will notify the
Committee when the minutes are available for
distribution.
The chairman may appoint a subcommittee to meet
independently for the purpose of investigating a
particular subject and providing a report and
recommendations to the entire committee regarding that
issue. The chairman shall assign a Bureau of Deep Mine Safety staff
member to coordinate the subcommittee and provide general assistance. Such subcommittee
should, at a minimum, consist of one Advisory Committee
member who is a representative of labor and one Advisory
Committee member who is a representative of industry. The
members of the subcommittee may elect a chairman of the subcommittee
from among the membership of the subcommittee. In the
event that the members of the subcommittee cannot agree
to the election of a chairman, the chairman of the
Advisory Committee may appoint a member of the
subcommittee to serve as chairman of the subcommittee.
Whenever a subcommittee has completed discussion on the
matter for which it was established and has completed at
least a draft of its report and/or recommendations, it shall advise
the chairman at least two weeks prior to the regular
meeting of the Advisory Committee scheduled to be held
following such completion of discussion, report, and recommendations.
At such time, the subcommittee shall advise the chairman
of the Advisory Committee of those persons who can best
provide information or a presentation to the Advisory Committee
regarding the particular issue for which the subcommittee
was established.
Only Advisory Committee members may recommend to the
Bureau Director technical issues to be placed on a "List
of Issues" for the Committee's consideration. The
"List of Issues" will be set by the Bureau
Director at his sole discretion.
Once an issue has been fully discussed and no Committee
members have additional input, the chairman will consider
that issue deleted from the "List of Issues."
The chairman will then provide a report to the entire committee
as to the Bureau of Deep Mine Safety's position and plan
of action on that issue within sixty (60) days.
Requests for information shall be directed to:
Bureau of Deep Mine Safety
Fayette County Health Center
100 New Salem Road, Room 167
Uniontown, PA 16401
724-439-7469
The Pennsylvania Bituminous Mine Safety Advisory Committee is
established as an ad hoc advisory committee on technical issues
for the Bureau of Deep Mine Safety of the Department of Environmental
Protection. The Director of the Bureau of Deep Mine Safety or his
designee shall serve as the chairman of the Advisory Committee.
Meetings of the Advisory Committee shall be scheduled and
convened by the chairman and shall be open to the public, as
space permits. However, only members of the Committee or their designated
substitutes may participate in discussions of issues presented.
The chairman may invite or recognize additional persons for the
purpose of presenting technical information or viewpoints for the
committee's deliberations. Each member is authorized to designate
an alternate without notice; however, only the normal number of
delegates may participate in deliberations at any meeting.
Functions of the Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee shall consider and investigate
technical issues dealing with the safe operation of bituminous underground
coal mines and shall render its advice to the chairman of the Committee
and to the Department. Issues considered by the Committee may
include the safety of underground mining machinery, electrical
equipment, atmospheric monitoring, ventilation, mine examination
practices, and any other technical issues within the ambit of the Bituminous
Coal Mine Act of 1961, as amended, which affect safety in
bituminous underground coal miens. The Advisory Committee may
also consider technical issues beyond the Department'
jurisdiction where industry coordination or technological
improvements will enhance worker safety, such as mine rescue.
The chairman shall convene meetings of the Advisory Committee
and shall set the agenda for each meeting. The members of the
Committee may propose issues to the chairman for consideration at future
meetings of the Committee, which the chairman may include at the
sole discretion of the chairman. Members may distribute any
written technical papers, data, or other information which they
believe will contribute to the Committee's understanding of an
issue in advance of or during any meeting.
The Chairman and the Department shall carefully consider the
advice of the Advisory Committee in formulating or revising
policies, program guidance and rule making by the Bureau of Deep
Mine Safety. All policies, program guidance and rule-making
decisions by the Bureau of Deep Mine Safety shall remain the
exclusive providence of the Department. In general, the Committee
agenda shall not include issues involving the Department which
are currently in litigation, or issues where the mandatory
requirements of Pennsylvania law preclude the use of alternative
equipment or practices. The Department's authority to enforce
policies which may be under discussion by the Committee shall not
be abrogated in any way during the Committee's deliberations or
by the advice given.