Tired of waiting for the Trump administration to enforce silica limits, coal miners protest

Silica dust in coal mines causes black lung disease.
(Adobe Stock photo)

In response to the Trump administration's refusal to enforce federal limits on silica dust, dozens of miners and their families will protest today "arguing the Trump administration has failed to protect them from black lung disease, an incurable illness caused by inhaling coal and silica dust," reports Lisa Friedman of The New York Times.

"Labor unions, Democrats and a growing number of miners accuse the Trump administration of ignoring workers while using hundreds of millions of dollars in federal subsidies to bolster the companies that operate coal plants and mining operations," Friedman writes.

The ceiling on silica exposure was "supposed to take effect in April. But the National Sand Stone and Gravel Association, the National Mining Association and other industry groups asked a federal appeals court to block the rule, citing the cost to mine operators," Friedman reports.

The Trump administration could have moved forward with applying the silica rule, but instead opted to "pause" enforcement while the court case plays out.

Gary Hairston, a retired West Virginia coal miner, who is the president of the National Black Lung Association, told Friedman, "The companies might be getting a handout, but the miners ain’t getting none."

While miners wait, the black lung disease continues to spike, with doctors diagnosing the disease in younger coal workers. Friedman writes, "Once considered a disease of older miners, black lung is now being diagnosed in workers in their 30s and 40s."

Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that "President Trump cares deeply about unleashing America’s energy potential, as well as standing up for those who fuel our country' like coal miners," Friedman reports.

More recently, the Trump administration "petitioned the court to prevent labor unions and a lung health association from intervening in the case," Friedman writes. "This month it asked for another court delay, citing the government shutdown."

Report: Coal dust from active mines is more toxic, but mining inspectors fail to sanction coal mine owners

Healthy lung versus black lung. (CDC graphic)

Despite increasing rates and severity of black lung disease in Appalachia, coal mining operators continue to avoid U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration harsh consequences meant to protect coal miners from toxic levels of coal dust and its more lethal counterpart, silica, report Michael D. Sallah, Jimmy Cloutier and Mike Wereschagin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

MSHA inspectors have repeatedly documented "dangerous levels of dust spewing in the mines — conditions that can prompt a temporary shutdown of an underground workplace — but failed to impose any penalties, only to find the companies violating the same thresholds again," the Post-Gazette reports.

When black lung disease began surging in 2009, the MSHA launched a campaign to clamp down on coal operators, but critics say the stricter sanctions on mine owners have not produced safer work conditions for miners.

If anything, mining is more deadly for workers who have to drill deep into silica-producing sandstone and limestone to reach coal beds. The Post-Gazette reports, "Fine particles of silica cut into the lungs, creating deep scars and inflammation, forcing the patients to use oxygen and eventually choking off their ability to breathe."

The impact of silica on today's coal miners is startling. Sallah writes, "In central Appalachia, one in every five people who have worked in the mines for at least 25 years is suffering from black lung disease."

Equally troubling is how many active mines ignore regulations and escape enforcement. "Hundreds of coal dust samples pulled from mines since 2014 were found to be breaking the limits without any disciplinary action taken by MSHA," the Post-Gazette reports.

Coal operators could lessen dust exposure, but those changes to ventilation and processes would cost "roughly $100 million a year," the report explains. 

Mine operators continue to push for their right to choose how they protect workers from coal dust.
Over the past year, one mine in Kentucky "showed a silica level eight times the safety threshold," the Post-Gazette reports. "In West Virginia last year, the level was six times over the limit."