Randy McCloy, the lone miner to survive the Sago blast, spent three months in the hospital before being discharged.
As the lone survivor of a deadly mine explosion and relatives of lost miners looked on, President Bush on Thursday signed a bill he called the most sweeping, safety-focused overhaul of the American mine industry in nearly three decades.
"America's miners work hard every day to support their families and support this country," Bush said. "It's hard work. You deserve the best training and the best equipment and safeguards that we can provide to protect your lives."
In the past year, 33 American miners have died in mine accidents. They include 12 who died at West Virginia's Sago Mine after a January explosion and five who died last month after a blast in Kentucky.
The sole survivor of the Sago explosion, Randal McCloy, and his wife, Anna, were among those attending the signing ceremony. McCloy, 27, received a standing ovation as he walked in.
The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, or MINER Act, is supported by coal industry officials and the United Mine Workers. It requires more oxygen supplies underground, stronger seals on abandoned mine shafts, two-way communication throughout a mine and less distance between miners and rescue teams.
The law doubles the amount of emergency air that must be given to each miner -- a two-hour supply instead of enough for a single hour.
Mining companies are required to report a possible accident within 15 minutes of its occurrence; they also are required to install fire-resistant lifelines to help miners find their way out in an emergency. Companies also are required to stash larger oxygen supplies along mine escape routes. The law increases penalties for those violating mine safety laws.
