You are looking at a
coal miner’s lungs, post-mortem. Last week, the Trump administration issued new regulatory agendas that included a re-examination of an Obama-era coal dust rule from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Mr. Trump said, “Let’s
cut the red tape, let’s set free our dreams,” in announcing a package of rule
reforms.
In 1969, the U.S.
passed landmark mine safety legislation. Congress specifically aimed to cut
black lung deaths as much as possible. From 1968 through 2014, more than 76,000
coal miners nationwide died from the disease.
Today, five Democratic
senators (Manchin, WV; Brown, OH.; Kaine, VA.; Casey, PA.; and Warner, VA) wrote to the
Trump administration seeking to maintain the tougher air-quality rule. See here
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4335807-Senate-Letter-Trump-Black-Lung-Rule.html.
Republican senators
from these states did not sign the letter (Capito, WV; Portman, OH; Toomey,
PA.).
Coal mining will
never be a safe occupation. But the Obama rules for air quality made the job a
little safer by cutting allowable dust by 25% over the previous rule.
Daily Mercury: Former coal miner Percy Verrall, with black lung disease after decades of working in coal mines.
No one should be
dying for a job.
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