Limiting diesel equipment use

摘要

Many diesel engines may be obsolete, while modifications may have to be made to engines that remain in service. Bio-fuels may have to be used. Equipment cabs may have to be replaced with state-of-the-art environmental cabs. These are problems that presently face underground stone mines, as well as all other metal-nonmetal underground operations. Regulations promulgated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to regulate diesel particulate matter (DPM) in underground mines have been under challenge since the year 2000. Now the litigation has run its course. The bottom line is that the courts will defer to MSHA regarding the need for DPM controls. This is basically what the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently ruled in upholding all aspects of MSHA's final DPM regulations.