The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the availability of $1 million in safety and health training grants to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines. The Brookwood-Sago grants program was established through a provision in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, and fiscal year 2011 funding will target the development and implementation of training and training materials for mine emergency preparedness as well as mine emergency prevention in underground mines.

"Training is the key to proper and safe emergency response," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "These funds will enable miners and mine emergency responders to receive the necessary training that may one day save lives if a mine emergency occurs."

As many as 20 grants may be awarded for a 12-month performance period, and applicants must be states or nonprofit entities. The amount of each individual grant will be at least $50,000 with a maximum award of $250,000. In addition, a new program structure allows applicants to apply for a renewal grant. The competition will close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Aug. 31. MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30.

These grants were named in memory of the 13 men who died in two explosions at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Ala., in 2001, and 12 men who died in an explosion at the Sago Mine in Buchannon, W.Va., in 2006. Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the government-wide site at http://www.grants.gov. If applying online poses a hardship to any applicant, the MSHA Directorate of Educational Policy and Development will provide assistance to help applicants submit their applications online. For more information on this initiative, visit http://www.msha.gov.