Technology that might help save trapped miners was shown off on Capitol Hill Wednesday, including text-messaging systems and tracking devices that are not widely used in U.S. mines. Lawmakers also got a look at the one-hour oxygen packs miners do rely on. There was broad agreement that the government ought to require operators to store extra oxygen in mines or outfit miners with longer-lasting packs.
See "Senate Panel Looks at Coal Mine Safety", Associated Press, The New York Times, February 15, 2006