News accounts of miners losing their lives as a result of accidents at underground coal mines have appeared more often in recent years. The methane explosion in 2006 at West Virginia’s Sago mine, in which 12 trapped miners died, shined a bright light on working conditions at the nation’s coal mines. The partial collapse in 2007 at Utah’s Crandall Canyon mine further drew attention to the plight of coal miners who work underground. These, among other incidents through 2007, prompted Congress to step up its legislative and oversight activities with respect to the safety and health of those who toil in the country’s coal mines. This book examines the working conditions in the coal mining industry, and describes the regulatory regime of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.