Miners with black lung disease push back against the Trump administration's failure to enforce new silica rule

Silica dust is present in all extracted coal.
(Adobe Stock photo)

Coal miners hoped that President Donald Trump would help secure health care safety protections for miners suffering from black lung disease and usher in an era where new U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration silica limits would be enforced. But some mining communities in Appalachia and the West have been angery and disappointed because they believe the administration's actions favor mining operator profits over worker safety.

A rule approved last year by the MSHA Administration would "cut the federal limit for allowable respirable crystalline silica dust exposure by half to help protect miners of all types nationwide from the current driving force of black lung and other illnesses," reports Margie Mason of The Associated Press.

Many mining community members who voted for Trump in his 2024 campaign believed he would protect mine workers from mine owners who opposed the silica rule and sued to delay its enforcement. But that is not the stance the Trump administration has taken.

The new rule is now "in jeopardy amid other Trump administration cutbacks and proposals targeting workers’ health and safety guardrails," Mason explains. "Some angry retired miners with black lung are fighting back, demanding that Trump honor promises he made to the people who voted him in."

Even as the Trump administration maintains that the president puts miners' health first, GOP cuts to agencies that oversee mine safety have left far fewer experts to inspect and enforce current rules.

"In addition, the Labor Department has proposed altering some mining regulations to weaken the authority of district mine health and safety managers that could impact ventilation, roof prevention and training programs," Mason adds. "The White House and the Labor Department insisted the administration can maintain miners’ health and safety while rolling back regulations."