By David Beard, The Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In April, miners and mining labor leaders met with U.S. Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su in Uniontown, Pa., to celebrate DOL’s final rule to protect miners from silica dust – exposure to which can lead to black lung disease.
On Friday, the miners and mine labor leaders criticized a move by a U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations subcommittee to not fund enforcement of the rule. The subcommittee advanced the bill providing funds for DOL and its Mine Safety and Health Administration.
The markup specifies, “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to administer, implement, or enforce the proposed rule entitled ‘Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory 18 Protection.’”
In April, United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts celebrated. “What does this rule do? It’s not overly complicated. More people will be alive 10 years from now than there would have been if it wasn’t for what we’ve done fighting for this rule. We were on the right side of this. We were doing the Lord’s work here.”
On Friday, Roberts said, “MSHA’s silica standard aims to reduce the amount of deadly silica dust in mine atmospheres, which is crucial for combating the worsening epidemic of black lung disease. It is difficult for me to understand how certain members of Congress could possibly be supportive of more miners dying a suffocating death as a result of being forced to breathe this dust.”
