Back to The MINER Act of 2006 and Related NIOSH Activities Supplemental Appropriation. SEC. 7010. For an additional amount for "Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Disease Control, Research and Training", to carry out section 501 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, $10,000,000 for research to develop mine safety technology: Provided, That progress reports on technology development shall be submitted to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House on a quarterly basis, with the first report due July 15, 2006: Provided further, That the amount provided under this heading shall remain available until September 30, 2007: Provided further, That the amount provided under this heading is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 402 of H. Con. Res. 95 (109th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2006. With this emergency supplemental appropriation (ESA), Congress allocated funds for critical disaster response technologies in these major areas: These funds target technologies that could be available for mine use within 24-36 months. The focus is on moving demonstrated prototypes to commercialization, or adapting commercialized technologies from other military or civilian sectors into mining. While longer term R&D activities are important to develop new concepts and conduct experimental investigations of possible innovations, they aren't the focus of this appropriation - those longer term activities should instead be directed to the new Mine Safety Technologies Contracts and Grants Program. To address needs in a timely and cost-effective manner, the primary focus will be competitive contracts. Competitive contract opportunities will be announced; proposals solicited, and contracts awarded to help accomplish the goal of the ESA. Collaborative projects will also be undertaken with the Department of Defense (DOD) and possibly other government agencies and labs (NIOSH is using base funding to address a range of critical issues related to disaster prevention and response that are complementary to activities planned for this appropriation.) The appropriated funds became available in September 2006. However, preliminary work had already begun. NIOSH scientists and engineers have been studying promising technologies that could meet the urgent needs of mineworkers. They continue to meet with manufacturers, inventors and innovators, trade and labor organizations, academia, and industry to discuss options, alternatives, and needs. They are examining installations in underground mines, and meeting with constituents and experts in the U.S. and other mining countries. Communications and tracking technologies are being tested in the lab and underground to evaluate the efficacy of systems purported to work in underground mines. A number of opportunities were identified that have a reasonable likelihood of being commercialized and available for in-mine use within 36 months. However, it's unlikely that all of these are doable for $10 million. Therefore, a competitive process will be used to prioritize the most promising technologies based on 1) significant positive impact on mine worker safety and 2) reasonable chance of commercial availability within 36 months. It's anticipated that some technologies will be successful and others will either fail or need additional time to reach a commercializable stage. We will initiate contract actions as quickly as possible, but also collect sufficient information to support good decision making. Therefore, procurement actions will move forward as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting for all to be finalized. This program is a high priority for the CDC Procurement and Grants Office and we don't expect any delays. However, we do expect it to take approximately five months. We anticipate that some contracts will be awarded by the end of calendar year 2006 (possibly slightly sooner for actions initiated by the end of July 2006), and that all will be awarded within nine months. For information on the status of the competitive contract program and requests for proposals see Requests for Proposals. |