Kaine says silica standard shouldn’t be reversed

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., says he is worried that President Donald Trump may try to weaken recently enacted silica standards that are designed to protect American coal miners.

Kaine, who met last week with the Daily Telegraph, said he was alarmed by the recent decision by the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration to pause enforcement of its final rule to better protect miners from health hazards associated with exposure to silica dust.

Kaine said the new silica standards were set during the Biden administration to protect miners from black lung. He, along with U.S. Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., and U.S. Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., are urging the Trump administration to preserve the Biden era standards.

“The Biden administration did issue a good silica standard,” Kaine said. “There is some discussion that the Trump administration may try to role that back.”

Kaine said the new silica standard will help to protect miners from black lung disease.

“The sad thing is we are seeing more and more young miners get black lung,” Kaine said.

The Biden-era silica rule was set after lawmakers spent several years advocating for the updated rule to better protect miners from inhaling toxic chemicals. Joe Manchin, a former U.S. senator from West Virginia, was a part of those earlier discussions.

“I felt like there was a lot of work done to get the standard,” Kaine said, adding that lawmakers have heard “rumblings” that the coal industry may want the new rule to be rolled back.

But doing so would be a mistake, according to Kaine.

Silica dust has caused severe black lung disease in young coal miners, according to Kaine. He said lawmakers expect the Mine Safety and Health Administration to begin enforcement of the new rule no later than their August 18 deadline.

Black lung is caused and exacerbated by long-term inhalation of coal and silica dust.

For many retired miners, black lung disease can be deadly and debilitating.

Kaine also is questioning the recent decision by the Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by Elon Musk, to close 35 Mine Safety and Health Administration field offices.

Kaine, Warner and Fetterman are seeking information from DOGE and the Trump administration on how the office closures will impact personnel and the inspection of underground mines.

Kaine said the DOGE cuts will undermine the progress that has been made over the last 50 years to ensure the health and safety of coal miners.

Kaine, Warner and Fetterman also have introduced legislation aimed at reforming black lung benefits. The goal of that legislation is to speed up access to claims and benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Program.

“Just the procedures for making a claim, speeding up the process for getting a determination of a claim,” Kaine said. “You have miners who get black lung and they are in the process (of benefit claims) for multiple years.”