Voices from coal country say closures of MSHA offices will endanger mine safety

Senators: Deep cuts in coal mine safety protections threaten miners

PITTSBURGH (TNS) — A group of prominent U.S. senators is demanding answers about the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to a mine health and safety agency whose largest office is just outside Pittsburgh.

Families, community pay respects to those killed in West Virginia mine disaster 15 years ago

A ceremony over the weekend marked the 15th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.(Curtis Tate / WVPB)April 5 marked the 15th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in West Virginia, which killed 29 coal miners when coal dust and methane ignited.In the years that followed, multiple investigations concluded that the mine’s operators routinely skirted safety rules. It was enabled by a federal mine safety agency that was unde…

U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration targeted by DOGE - OHS Canada Magazine

FILE – A miner gathers his thought before taking part in a rescue mission, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, in Tallmansville, W.Va. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, Pool, File) By John Raby And Leah Willingham The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration is among the federal agencies selected for spending cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency. Nearly three dozen MSHA offices would have their leases terminated if the plans come to fruition. MSHA is…

'Recipe for disaster': MSHA cuts fueling safety fears 15 years after Upper Big Branch

Trump administration cuts to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA, are fueling mine safety fears among miner advocates who say a lack of adequate resources at the agency has increased the risk of another disaster like the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County that left 29 miners dead on April 5, 2010, 15 years ago Saturday. Former MSHA leaders see parallels between agency workforce shortcomings now and those…

Voices from coal country say closures of MSHA offices will endanger mine safety

Stanley “Goose” Stewart, who survived the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster that killed 29 workers 15 years ago Saturday, calls a recommendation by the Trump administration to close three dozen offices of the Mine Safety and Health Administration across the country “idiotic.”

Federal workers' union representative says miner safety is being compromised by job, office cuts

BEAVER, WV (WVNS) -- The General Services Administration (GSA) has ordered the closure of the Mine Health Safety Administration District Office in Pineville, National Council of Field Labor Locals (NCFLL) Vice-President Cary Clarkson confirmed on Thursday, April 3, 2025. Clarkson spoke with 59News days before the 15th anniversary of the deadly Upper Big Branch Mine explosion, which killed 29 West Virginia miners on April 5, 2010. Clarkson said t…