When West Virginia passed coal safety laws last month, one of the key components required all miners to wear tracking and communication equipment.

But some people worry there is a slight problem – dependable technology doesn’t exist.

One piece of equipment – called a PED system – is being touted as the future of coal mine safety, It easily fits on a miner’s belt and allows officials above ground to send messages to people working below.

In the wake of 16 miner deaths in five weeks, state and federal leaders say it just makes sense — this equipment should be in every mine.

“There’s a crying need for it. These miners go to work every day wondering if they are going to come out of that mine,” said U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.

Coal companies, such as CONSOL Energy, say they would have invested in technology years ago if they could find dependable equipment.

The PED system is being used at some of CONSOL’s mines in West Virginia. When we spoke with a company official, he said the technology worked pretty well at one mine. It doesn’t work at all at the other.

Plus, they don’t like that the system doesn’t allow miners to send messages to people above the surface. That makes the system useless when miners are trapped or lost.

“We want to do this quickly and we want to get this equipment. But we want to get equipment that everybody has confidence in and that we know is going to work,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association.

Raney said tracking equipment is even less dependable. Companies haven’t found anything that works in an electrical shut down. And WVU Mine Extension Agent Joe Dorton said some miners don’t like wearing the devices.

“If a miner would quit moving for an extended period of time it would signal to the surface that he was inactive,” Dorton said.

Even if current equipment doesn’t work perfectly, leaders say they believe the new law will kick start research for something better.

“We have never had a problem finding the products to meet the demand that the people wanted to move very rapidly,” Gov. Joe Manchin said.

Manchin said companies do not have to have the equipment by a specific deadline.

“If there is nothing out there, we are not going to force people just because it sounds good,” he said.

In the meantime, miners and mine owners will be talking a lot about communication.