Mine training center in Ruff Creek to receive grant
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State education officials released $900,000 for the continued operation of the Mining Training and Technology Center in Greene County. The announcement came from state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, and state Reps. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson and Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane Township.
“Coal continues to provide a reliable and cost-effective energy source for millions of Americans,” Solobay said. “The training center in Prosperity has a long track record of keeping miners safe through training in the latest techniques and technologies.”
Solobay, Neuman and Snyder pressed for the funding during budget negotiations last summer.
“The Mining Training and Technology Center trains America’s next generation of coalminers and mine rescue teams,” Snyder said. “The funding release is crucial not only to coal-rich Southwestern Pennsylvania but also to an industry that has been, and will remain, crucial to the nation’s industrial strength.”
The MTTC was built 16 years ago on 65 acres near Ruff Creek, using a $4 million state grant and thousands of miners were trained in mine safety skills, including first aid, CPR, ventilation and mine evacuation. The facility, run by the nonprofit UMWA Career Centers Inc., trained more than 2,500 students for mine rescue teams.
“Coal is going to continue to be a great source of energy, and this facility helps keep our miners safe,” Neuman said. “Coal miners do not have an easy job, but we need to make sure that they are properly trained to handle any situation, and this facility is a great resource for our area.”
The facility features a simulated coal mine, consisting of artificial blocks of coal that replicate the physical layout and conditions of an underground mine, inside a 40,000-square-foot building.
Each graduate receives the requisite 40-hour Mine Safety and Health Administration training certificate, a CPR card, a certificate of completion from the school and a Penn State University certificate that will show potential employers the graduate is qualified to work in an underground mine.