Bill Text: IL SB3736 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Coal Mining Act. Provides that a coal mine operator must provide caches of additional self-contained self-rescuer devices along the mine's primary and secondary escape ways (rather than 30 self-contained self-rescuer devices in each cache located within a mine). Provides that each cache shall have a minimum of one self-contained self-rescuer device for every person who will be inby the cache. Provides that cache locations shall be spaced along each escape way at a 30-minute travel distance. Provides alternate distances for caches if an operator chooses not to use a walk study. Makes changes concerning the submission of a plan for approval concerning the construction and maintenance of rescue chambers to the Mining Board. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Failed) 2021-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB3736 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-SB3736-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning regulation.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Coal Mining Act is amended by changing | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Sections 11.08 and 11.09 as follows:
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6 | (225 ILCS 705/11.08)
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7 | Sec. 11.08. Self-contained self-rescuer (SCSR) devices; | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | caches; strobe lights; luminescent signs.
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9 | (a) An operator must require each person underground to | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | carry a SCSR device on his or her person or, alternatively, a | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | SCSR device must be kept within 25 feet of the person | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | underground or may be kept more than 25 feet from the person | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | underground if done according to a plan approved by the Mining | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | Board. | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | (b) An operator must provide for each person who is | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | underground at least one SCSR device, in addition to the device | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | required under subsection (a), that provides protection for a | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | period of one hour or longer, to cover all persons in the mine. | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | This additional SCSR device must be kept within 25 feet of the | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | person underground or may be kept more than 25 feet from the | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | person underground if done according to a plan approved by the | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | Mining Board. | |||||||||||||||||||||
23 | (c) If a mantrip or mobile equipment is used to enter or |
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1 | exit the mine, additional SCSR devices, each of which must | ||||||
2 | provide protection for a period of one hour or longer, must be | ||||||
3 | available for all persons who use such transportation from | ||||||
4 | portal to portal. | ||||||
5 | (c-5) In Beginning July 31, 2007, in addition to the SCSR | ||||||
6 | devices required under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this | ||||||
7 | Section, an operator must provide caches of additional SCSR | ||||||
8 | devices along the mine's primary and secondary escape ways. | ||||||
9 | Each cache shall have a minimum of one SCSR device for every | ||||||
10 | person who will be inby the cache of 30 SCSR devices in each | ||||||
11 | cache located within a mine . All SCSR devices required under | ||||||
12 | this subsection (c-5) shall be stored in caches that are | ||||||
13 | conspicuous and readily accessible by each person in the mine. | ||||||
14 | Cache locations shall be spaced along each escape way at a | ||||||
15 | 30-minute travel distance. This 30-minute travel distance will | ||||||
16 | be established based on a walk study utilizing the guidelines | ||||||
17 | and procedures approved by the
Mining Board. An operator may | ||||||
18 | choose, in lieu of a walk study, to utilize the following for | ||||||
19 | cache distances. If the average seam height of a mine is: | ||||||
20 | (1) less than 40 inches, caches must be located no more | ||||||
21 | than 2,200 feet apart throughout a mine; | ||||||
22 | (2) 40 inches or more, but less than 51 inches, caches | ||||||
23 | must be located no more than 3,300 feet apart throughout a | ||||||
24 | mine; | ||||||
25 | (3) 51 inches or more, but less than 66 inches, caches | ||||||
26 | must be located no more than 4,400 feet apart throughout a |
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1 | mine; and | ||||||
2 | (4) 66 inches or more, caches must be located no more | ||||||
3 | than 5,700 feet apart throughout a mine. | ||||||
4 | An operator must submit for approval a plan addressing the | ||||||
5 | requirements of this subsection (c-5) to the Mining Board if | ||||||
6 | the operator chooses to conduct a walk study to establish cache | ||||||
7 | distances on or before May 1, 2007 .
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8 | (d) The Mining Board must require all operators to provide | ||||||
9 | additional SCSR devices in the primary and alternate escapeways | ||||||
10 | to ensure safe evacuation if the Mining Board determines that | ||||||
11 | the SCSR devices required under subsections (a), (b),
(c), and | ||||||
12 | (c-5) are not adequate to provide enough oxygen for all persons | ||||||
13 | to safely evacuate the mine under mine emergency conditions for | ||||||
14 | all persons underground through both primary and alternate | ||||||
15 | escapeways. The Mining Board must determine the time needed for | ||||||
16 | safe evacuation under emergency conditions from each of those | ||||||
17 | locations at 1,000 foot intervals. If the Mining Board | ||||||
18 | determines that additional SCSR devices are needed under this | ||||||
19 | subsection (d), the mine operator must submit a SCSR storage | ||||||
20 | plan to the Mining Board for approval. The mine operator must | ||||||
21 | include in the SCSR storage plan the location, quantity, and | ||||||
22 | type of additional SCSR devices, including, but not limited to, | ||||||
23 | SCSR devices required under subsections (a), (b), (c), and | ||||||
24 | (c-5) of this Section, each of which must provide protection | ||||||
25 | for a period of one hour or longer, that are stored in the | ||||||
26 | primary and alternate escapeways. The SCSR storage plan must |
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1 | also show how each storage location in the primary and | ||||||
2 | alternate escapeways was determined. The Mining Board must | ||||||
3 | require the mine operator to demonstrate that the location, | ||||||
4 | quantity, and type of the additional SCSRs provide protection | ||||||
5 | to all persons to safely evacuate the mine. The SCSR storage | ||||||
6 | plan must be kept current by the mine operator and made | ||||||
7 | available for inspection by an authorized representative of the | ||||||
8 | Mining Board and by the miners' representative.
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9 | (e) (Blank).
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10 | (f) An operator must provide luminescent direction signs | ||||||
11 | leading to each cache and rescue chamber in a mine, and a | ||||||
12 | luminescent sign with the word
"SELF-RESCUER" or | ||||||
13 | "SELF-RESCUERS" must be conspicuously posted at each cache and | ||||||
14 | rescue chamber. | ||||||
15 | (g) Intrinsically safe, battery-powered strobe lights that | ||||||
16 | have been approved by the Department must be affixed to each | ||||||
17 | cache and rescue chamber and must be capable of automatic | ||||||
18 | activation in the event of an emergency; however, until such | ||||||
19 | time as the Department approves intrinsically safe, | ||||||
20 | battery-powered strobe lights, reflective tape or any other | ||||||
21 | illuminated material approved by the Department must be affixed | ||||||
22 | to each cache and rescue chamber in a mine.
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23 | (h) An operator must implement The Mining Board must adopt | ||||||
24 | and impose a plan for the daily inspection of SCSR devices | ||||||
25 | required under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this Section in | ||||||
26 | order to ensure that the devices perform their designated |
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1 | functions each working day. Additional SCSR devices required | ||||||
2 | under subsections (c-5) and (d) must be inspected every 90 days | ||||||
3 | to ensure that the devices perform their designated functions, | ||||||
4 | in addition to meeting all federal Mine Safety and Health | ||||||
5 | Administration requirements. | ||||||
6 | (i) Any person who, without the authorization of the | ||||||
7 | operator or the Mining Board, knowingly removes or attempts to | ||||||
8 | remove any self-contained self-rescue device,
battery-powered | ||||||
9 | strobe light, reflective tape, or any other illuminated | ||||||
10 | material approved by the Department from a mine or mine site | ||||||
11 | with the intent to permanently deprive the operator of the | ||||||
12 | device, light, reflective tape, or illuminated material or who | ||||||
13 | knowingly tampers with or attempts to tamper with the device, | ||||||
14 | light, reflective tape, or illuminated material is guilty of a | ||||||
15 | Class 4 felony. | ||||||
16 | (j) (Blank).
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17 | (k) (Blank).
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18 | (Source: P.A. 94-1041, eff. 7-24-06; 94-1101, eff. 2-9-07.)
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19 | (225 ILCS 705/11.09)
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20 | Sec. 11.09. Rescue chambers.
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21 | (a) Rescue chambers
must be provided and located within | ||||||
22 | 3,000 feet of each working section of a mine, in accordance | ||||||
23 | with a plan submitted by an operator and approved by the Mining | ||||||
24 | Board.
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25 | (b) An operator must submit a plan for approval concerning |
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1 | the construction and maintenance of rescue chambers required | ||||||
2 | under this Section to the Mining Board on or before May 1, | ||||||
3 | 2007 .
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4 | (Source: P.A. 94-1041, eff. 7-24-06; 94-1101, eff. 2-9-07.)
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5 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
6 | becoming law.
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