YOUR COMMUNITY FOUNDATION WELCOMES THE MINE RESCUE DRILLING FUND
January 31, 2011FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Morgantown Businessman Announces Formation of Mine Rescue Research and Preparedness Fund
A Morgantown, West Virginia businessman has established a fund to provide critical support for mine rescue drilling research, preparedness and implementation for the mining industry in the United States and abroad.
The Mine Rescue Drilling Fund will provide resources and equipment for mine rescue operations.
The impetus for developing the fund was the October, 2010 mine rescue of the 33 Chilean miners near Copiapo, Chile. Bill Maloney, Principal of Morgantown-based company Drill Leader LLC, was in Chile during the rescue attempts in 2010, working on the successful "Plan B" with a worldwide team of engineers and drillers.
For more than two months the trapped miners were entombed half a mile beneath the Chilean desert. The dramatic rescue effort was accomplished faster than anyone expected, sparking jubilation around the world.
Maloney expects this fund to raise the necessary capital to provide better, more efficient means to reach trapped miners.
"Combining our extensive background in drilling for the mining industry in the Appalachian coal fields with the knowledge and techniques learned in Chile, we hope to advance the science and technology of rescue drilling and improve chances of saving lives in the event of another mine accident," Maloney said.
The Mine Rescue Drilling Fund was established on January 21, 2011 at Your Community Foundation, a 501 (C) 3 not-for-profit foundation headquartered in Morgantown, WV.
A committee of industry professionals will oversee the fund. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, visit www.fundyourpassion.org/minerescue, phone: 304-296-3433; or www.DrillLeader.com, phone: 304-282-7400.
