HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania's governor ordered the re-inspection Monday of the commonwealth's 77 active underground mines in the next 30 days.
Ed Rendell also urged the state's mine operators to heed the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration's call for a voluntary "timeout" to discuss safety with workers.
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The directive comes after the tragedies in West Virginia, where 16 miners have been killed since the beginning of the year. The enhanced inspections will be on top of all normal inspection activities, which continue as scheduled, and will focus on the state's bituminous, anthracite and industrial mineral underground mines.
Pennsylvania has about 5,100 miners.