(c) ASSESSMENT ON PROGRAM OPERATIONS OF CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF EXTERNAL REQUIREMENTS ADDED SINCE 1977.

—The Secretary shall request the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of the impact on the mine safety and health responsibilities of the Department of Labor of various statutes, executive orders, and memoranda applicable to the issuance of rulemaking and guidance and to enforcement. The study shall include an assessment of the Equal Access to Justice Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, the Data Quality Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Congressional Review Act, Executive Order 12866, Executive Order 13422, and memoranda from the Office of Management and Budget on guidance, risk assessment and cost analysis. The Secretary shall request that the National Academy of Sciences consult widely with experts in administrative law and other disciplines knowledgeable about such requirements, and to quantify to the extent possible the costs to miners of the aforementioned requirements. The Secretary shall further request that recommendations be included in the report, and that such report and recommendations be completed, and forwarded to the Congress, no later than 21 months after the date of enactment of this Act.