Opportunity
Federal Register #2026-21174
MSHA petition to allow Topcon and Nikon surveying equipment at a West Virginia coal mine
Buyer
US DEPT OF LABOR - MINE SAFETY HE
Posted
October 16, 2026
Respond By
November 16, 2026
Identifier
2026-21174
MSHA is reviewing a mine operator’s petition to use specified surveying equipment underground at Maple Eagle East Deep Mine. - Government buyer and office: U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Office of Standards, Regulations, and Variances. - Petitioner and location: Panther Creek Mining, LLC; Maple Eagle East Deep Mine in Fayette County, West Virginia. - OEMs and equipment: Topcon 3005 LW total station, serial number 4J12333, and Nikon Nivo 5.M total station, serial number A302275. The petition also covers similar low-voltage, battery-operated total stations and theodolites rated IP66 or greater. - No purchase quantities or part numbers are provided; the identifiers given are serial numbers. - Proposed safety conditions: Equipment inspection and maintenance, methane testing and continuous monitoring, ventilation and dust controls, restrictions during ventilation disruptions, logbook records, and personnel training. - Opportunity type: Regulatory petition for permission to use equipment, not a request to buy products or services. No contract period or value is stated. - Other organization named in the source: Nemko North America is referenced in a separate OSHA notice about an NRTL recognition expansion; it is unrelated to this petition.
Description
This notice summarizes Panther Creek Mining, LLC’s petition to modify the application of 30 CFR 75.507-1(a) at the Maple Eagle East Deep Mine in Fayette County, West Virginia. The petition requests permission to use specified battery-powered, non-permissible surveying equipment, including Topcon 3005 LW and Nikon Nivo 5.M total stations, in areas including return airways, subject to proposed safety conditions. Those conditions address equipment inspections and maintenance, methane monitoring, training, recordkeeping, and ventilation practices. Comments must be received by MSHA’s Office of Standards, Regulations, and Variances by November 16, 2026.