The Trump administration appears to have backtracked on an earlier decision to close more than 30 offices that enforce mine safety. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) listed field offices across the country with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA, among government buildings that would have their leases terminated.
A spokesperson with the Department of Labor confirmed, 34 of these field offices will remain open.
Miner advocates are celebrating the news, including Vonda Robinson, Vice President of the National Black Lung Association.
“I think they’re actually hearing our voices now, of how important it is to take care of our coal miners,” Robinson said. “Because without taking care of our coal miners, we won’t have coal to help power America.”
Robinson lives in Southwest Virginia with her husband, who has black lung disease. She said they and other advocates have been asking the federal government to ensure miners are protected.
“I was like, this is what we’re pushing for, you know,” Robinson said. “Like we have a great group of people working together, and we’re seeing results and I love it.”
Robinson said she hopes MSHA is able to employ enough mine inspectors, so they can enforce the new silica rule, which is scheduled to go into effect in August.
Health experts with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have warned for years that advanced black disease is caused when miners are exposed to to fine particles of silica dust. The new limits had been scheduled to go into effect in April, but MSHA announced it was pushing back the date until August.
Miners in central Appalachia have the highest risks of black lung disease. "We have an epidemic here in Southwest Virginia already," Robinson said. "And if we don’t MSHA back then we haven’t seen a pandemic like we’re going to see in the future if we don’t take care of our miners."
An analysis by the Appalachian Citizens Law Center found that over the past decade, MSHA has seen a 27% reduction in staff, including 50% of enforcement staff for coal mines.
The report also says staff at the 33 MSHA offices that had been slated to close conducted more than 16,000 mine inspections in 2024-2025 and that closing them could have a significant impact on miner health.
The Government Services Administration, which initially made the decision to close MSHA offices, did not respond to a request for a statement from RadioIQ.
Department of Labor spokesperson Courtney Parella said in a statement: "The Department has been working closely with GSA to ensure our MSHA inspectors have the resources they need to carry out their core mission to prevent death, illness and injury from mining and promote safe and healthy workplaces for American miners.”
