From Nextgov.com: Senate funds system to speed processing of mine safety violations
Electronic filing would help stop mining companies' tactic of evading responsibility for problems by contesting federal penalties, an appeals process that averages nearly two years.
In response to the April 5 blast in a West Virginia coal mine that left 29 miners dead, the Senate has proposed spending emergency funds to upgrade a computer system to reduce a backlog of unresolved mine safety citations. Federal officials testified this year that Massey Energy Co., which operated the Upper Big Branch Mine where the explosion occurred, avoided complying with regulations partly because citations for safety violations issued to the company had yet to be processed.
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