Mining disaster raises questions about effectiveness of safety laws

Naoma, West Virginia (CNN) -- Two West Virginia mining accidents within 17 days in January 2006 killed 14 people and prompted Congress to pass the most sweeping mine safety legislation in 29 years.

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006, along with tougher policies subsequently adopted by federal regulators, helped reduce mining fatalities to record low levels from 2007-2009.

Now, another West Virginia mine explosion that killed at least 25 miners raises questions on how such a disaster could happen after all the congressional hearings, enhanced policies and industry commitments to prioritize worker safety.

"We were hoping that nothing like this would every happen again," said R. Larry Grayson, a Penn State energy and mineral engineering professor who headed an industry-funded commission that issued comprehensive safety recommendations after the 2006 tragedies.

"We've done all this technology, we've done all this think-tank stuff," Grayson told CNN on Thursday. "It really just rips everybody apart, not just the families, everybody" in mining.

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