U.S. House committee advances bill that would halt application of new silica dust rule

Exposure to mixed coal mine dust that contains silica — a carcinogen — can lead to the development of pneumoconiosis, commonly known as black lung disease. (Getty Images)

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted last week to advance an appropriations bill for the federal Department of Labor that contains a provision to block the implementation of a newly finalized rule meant to limit coal miners’ exposure to dangerous silica dust.

The bill previously passed a subcommittee and, on Wednesday, passed the full Appropriations Committee 31-25 with no amendments that would affect the attempt to stop the silica rule. It now advances to the full House, where lawmakers will have the chance to amend it before passage.

The appropriations bill — which outlines how the Department of Labor will allocate its funding for fiscal year 2025 — contains one line of text that prohibits the use of any funding for the implementation of the new silica dust rule.

New silica exposure rules aim to protect miners, but critics say they lack needed enforcement

The federal rule to limit miners’ exposure to silica dust was finalized in April and most of it began to go into effect in June . The new rule — initially proposed in July 2023 — implements for the first time ever a separate exposure limit for silica dust in mines, cuts the maximum exposure limit to 50 micrograms per cubic meter for a full-shift and creates an “action level” for when exposure comes at 25 micrograms per cubic meter for a full shift. It also establishes uniform exposure monitoring and control requirements for mine operators to follow.

“The new silica dust rule is not perfect, but it is an important step forward to protect the health and safety of hard-working miners,” said Brendan Muckian-Bates, a policy and advocacy associate with the nonprofit Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, in a news release . “This dangerous provision, however, is a dramatic leap backwards that would put lives at risk and allow the black lung epidemic to continue to spread in spite of decades of advocacy to tackle this crisis. We need every tool possible to protect the health of miners, and we urge every member of Congress — especially House Republicans — with coal miners and those with black lung as constituents to work with their colleagues in deleting this section from the final bill.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20% of coal miners in Central Appalachia are suffering from black lung — the highest rate detected for the disease in more than 25 years. One in 20 of those coal miners are living with the most severe form of the condition, and fatalities tied to black lung are steadily increasing in central Appalachia faster than the rest of the country.

Younger coal miners in the region are also being diagnosed with the disease at rates unseen by their predecessors due to a lack of easily accessible coal and an increase in the amount of silica-rich sandstone they have to dig through to reach what remains.

“Miners with black lung and their families have been fighting for protections from deadly silica dust for years. We know that those in the mines are getting sicker faster than ever because of silica dust, and we’re grateful [the Mine Safety and Health Administration] finally took action to help,” said Vonda Robinson, who serves as vice president of the National Black Lung Association, in a news release Wednesday. “It’s very disheartening to see a handful of Washington politicians try and undo all this hard work on a whim. If this policy becomes law, it will put the lives of countless miners at risk. Mining families deserve better, and we urge Congress to throw out this dangerous policy and get to work helping miners, not making their lives much harder.”

This story originally appeared in West Virginia Watch , which, like The Virginia Mercury, is part of States Newsroom.

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