30 U.S.C. § 963 — Technical Study Panel

(a) Establishment. A Technical Study Panel, called the “Panel,” is established to independently review and make scientific and engineering recommendations about belt air and the composition and fire-retardant properties of belt materials in underground coal mining. (b) Membership. The Panel has six members: (1) two appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services after consultation with the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Associate Director of the Office of Mine Safety; (2) two appointed by the Secretary of Labor after consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health; and (3) two appointed jointly by congressional leaders—one by the Senate and House majority leaders and one by the Senate and House minority leaders—before the sine die adjournment of the second session of the 109th Congress. (c) Qualifications. Four members must have a master’s or doctoral degree in mining engineering or another scientific field clearly related to the report. No member may work for a coal or other mine, labor organization, or state or federal agency whose main responsibility is regulating mining. (d) Report. (1) Within 1 year after all members are appointed, the Panel must send the Secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services and the named Senate and House committees a report about belt air and belt materials in underground coal mining. (2) Within 180 days after receiving it, the Secretary of Labor must tell those committees what actions, if any, the Secretary plans to take based on the report, including proposed regulatory changes, and why. (e) Compensation. While doing Panel work, members receive compensation, per diem instead of subsistence, and travel expenses under the same rules and conditions in section 210(c) of title 42.