Funding for these grants will target the development and implementation of training and training materials for mine emergency preparedness as well as mine emergency prevention in underground mines.
MSHA Administrator Joseph A. Main stressed that training is key to safe emergency response in mines. “These funds will enable miners and mine emergency responders to receive the necessary training that may one day save lives if a mine emergency occurs,” he said.
The Brookwood-Sago grants are named in memory of the workers who died in two high-profile mining explosions: the 13 men who perished in two explosions at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Ala., in 2001, and the 12 men who lost their lives in an explosion at the Sago Mine in Buchannon, W.Va., in 2006.
As many as 20 grants, each ranging from at least $50,000 to a maximum of $250,000, may be awarded for a 12-month performance period. A new program structure allows applicants to apply for a renewal grant. The application period will close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Aug. 31, and MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the government-wide site at http://www.grants.gov.
The Brookwood-Sago grants program was established through a provision in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006. For more information, visit http://www.msha.gov/Training/BrookwoodSago/BrookwoodSago.asp.