May 2008
05/12/08 MSHA Urges Public to "Stay Out and Stay Alive"..... The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) kicked off its annual public safety campaign to warn outdoor enthusiasts - especially children - about the dangers of playing on mine property.........Read Full Story.

April 2008
04/24/08 FMCSA Denies ISEE Hazardous Materials Safety Permit Petition..... In response to the letter sent on behalf of ISEE on April 2, 2007, Jeff Dean, Executive Director and General Counsel, has received notice from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) denying the petition for rulemaking......Download FMCSA Letter.

04/08/08 Williamson River Delta Project Receives State Land Board Award for 3,500-acre Wetland Restoration.....SALEM, OR -- The State Land Board recognized the Williamson River Delta Restoration Project in an awards ceremony honoring exemplary projects that promote responsible stewardship of Oregon's natural resources........Read Full Story.

March 2008
03/20/08 Canada Releases New Chemical Security Regs.....OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- The Government of Canada is taking action to better control the sale of chemicals that can be used to make explosives.  The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, today announced that new regulations for these chemicals, known as explosives precursors, will be implemented under the Explosives Act.......Read Full Story.

03/19/08 Pennsylvania DEP issues a new policy regarding Receiving, Tracking, Investigating, Appealing and Filing Citizen's Requests - Per DEP, Citizens' requests will be processed according to the guidelines in the new policy document. The purpose of the document is to outline a standard procedure for processing citizens' requests relating to mining and explosives. It applies to all citizens' requests received and processed by the Bureaus of District Mining Operations and Mining and Reclamation, and is intended to supplement existing requirements.........Download Full Policy.

February 2008
02/26/08 New York State Legislative Alert - The New York State Department of Labor is anticipating enacting legislation to change its present standards for explosives possession, handling, storage and transportation as outlined in Code Rule 39, last amended April 17, 1991........Read Full Story.

02/07/08 MSHA Approves First Wireless Tracking System for Underground Mines - The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced it has issued its first official approval of a wireless tracking system for use in underground mines. The approval was issued by MSHA's Approval and Certification Center to Venture Design Services, Inc. for the MineTracer Miner Location Monitoring System.......Read Press Release.

02/06/08 Blaster's Leadership Award Winner Announced at ISEE's Annual Conference - ISEE's 2008 Blaster's Leadership Award was presented to Steven P. Case at the recent 34th Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique. This award is presented to an individual who has distinguished themselves through outstanding service to their fellow blasters in the field.....Download Press Release

02/04/08 ATF Switching to Electronic Funds Processing - ATF has announced that it will be switching to electronic funds processing (ECP) for all payments received by the agency.
Read Full Notice.

January 2008
01/17/08 House Passes S-Miner Bill - White House Issues Statement - Representatives voted 214-199 (not veto proof) to pass the Supplementary Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, also called S-MINER.  The White House released a statement of administrative policy regarding the House Rule.  Download Full Statement.

01/07/08 University of Missouri-Rolla is now officially Missouri University of Science and Technology - The change from UMR to Missouri S&T was first proposed in October 2006 by Chancellor John F. Carney III in an effort to help define the University's role as a leading technological research institution. The change took effect on January 1, 2008.  Visit their new website.