Capito Urges HHS Secretary to Bring Back NIOSH Employees to Support Coal Industry
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, penned a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. regarding the recent layoffs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, W.Va. Specifically, Senator Capito highlighted the important role NIOSH plays in the health and wellbeing of West Virginia coal miners and requested that the administration bring back these critical programs and employees that allow them to function properly.
Shelley Moore Capito
“I believe in the President’s vision to right size our government, but I do not think eliminating the NIOSH coal programs and research will accomplish that goal. The mission and work conducted by the specially trained NIOSH employees is not duplicative of any other government program. I am concerned that the RIFs at NIOSH will undermine the vital health programs important to so many West Virginians. I urge you to bring back the NIOSH employees immediately so they can continue to support our nation’s coal industry,” Senator Capito wrote.
The full letter can be found below:
Dear Secretary Kennedy,
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me regarding the important work CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) does to improve and monitor the health care of our coal miners in West Virginia. During our discussion, I was pleased you agreed with me that the work happening at NIOSH is unique across the federal government. Now, I ask that the Department bring back not only the functions of the NIOSH coal offices and programs, but also some of the specialized employees impacted by the April 1 HHS-wide Reduction in Force (RIF) who do this important work in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The NIOSH facility in Morgantown is known for its research aimed at preventing work-related injuries and illnesses, particularly in coal miners. The NIOSH Mining Program works to eliminate mining fatalities and injuries. Research on rock dust has resulted in safety changes to prevent explosions in underground mines. NIOSH research has also resulted in industry standards for pillar design and roof support programs to prevent collapses in underground mines. NIOSH’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) studies respiratory disease and provides black lung screenings to coal miners. It is my understanding that the RIF impacted every employee in these important programs.
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
Dominion Among Utilities Allowed Exemption for Coal Emissions From Trump's EPA
Dominion Energy is one of several utilities that received an exemption from stricter federal coal pollution reduction technologies under an order from the Trump administration that environmental groups call “farcical.”
On April 8, President Trump announced several executive orders aimed at propping up the coal industry. The Trump orders gave 47 companies and a larger number of their plants and units a two-year exemption from rules to lower mercury and particulate matter emissions from coal-burning facilities. The stricter measures were approved by the Biden administration last year and were set to take effect on July 8, 2027. It is not clear how many companies had applied for the exemption.
On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a list of the companies, known as “Annex 1,” that were given exemptions. The agency had allowed utilities to submit emails requesting an exemption, and Virginia’s regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection, wrote a letter in support of Dominion’s request.
Dominion received an exemption for its Mount Storm facility in West Virginia and, in a regulatory hearing this month on a separate October planning document, it indicated that none of its coal plants, including the Clover Power Station that supplies cooperatives in Virginia, would be retired before 2045.
Deborah Murray, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said Trump’s executive order was part of an assault on some fundamental protections and “doesn’t meet the criteria for a presidential exemption.” Exemptions can only be granted if technology for pollution reduction is not available or its in the interests of national security, she said.
“President Trump just likes being able to presumably make things happen quickly, attempting to roll back as many bedrock environmental protections that we have,” Murray said. “It seems to be a full-scale, out-and-out assault on our really fundamental environmental protections. There’s just so many. How do you keep track of them all? It’s just really disturbing.”
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
Trump Administration Identifies First Wave of Mines for Permitting Program
The Trump administration has identified what it described as the first wave of critical minerals mining projects for a transparency initiative within a federal program aimed at streamlining project permitting.
In March, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to increase American minerals production. The National Energy Dominance Council responded by submitting a list of 10 projects, including coal, lithium, antimony, potash, phosphate and copper mines, to be labeled as FAST-41 transparency projects on the Federal Permitting Dashboard.
The move "advances the president's directive to take immediate action to facilitate domestic production of America's vast mineral resources," the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council said in an April 18 news release.
The projects were not classified as FAST-41-covered projects, which would entitle the projects to certain coordination-related benefits and other resources to expedite permitting. Inclusion as a transparency project makes the schedule for various parts of the permitting process publicly available, according to the news release, and ensures stakeholders have up-to-date information on where each project stands in the review process.
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
Annual Mining Symposium Coal Show a Success
Below is a message from Chris Hamilton, President, West Virginia Coal Association:
A special "Thank You" to our sponsors, speakers, and attendees of the Association's Annual Mining Symposium and Congratulations to our Mine Safety and Environmental Excellence Award winners and Coal Hall of Fame Inductees.
Chris Hamilton
Here for your perusal is a recap of the event and press releases for the awards and Hall of Fame inductees. Also, please go to 2025 Symposium | Flickr for the event photo gallery.
On behalf of Jessie and Jason who put in double duty all spring to make this Symposium simply a huge success. Please give one of us a call ((304) 342-4153) if you need anything and thanks for your continued support.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
More Coal Will Stabilize the Grid
The ongoing closure of dispatchable coal power plants in the United States has put the reliability of electricity systems at risk. In March, the seven regional organizations responsible for maintaining the reliable operation of the electrical grid were virtually unanimous in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee. Manu Asthana, CEO of PJM (covers 67 million people) stated: “dispatchable generators- those generators that can quickly respond regardless of weather, are retiring at a rapid pace largely due to state and federal policies.” Lanny Nickell CEO of Southwest Power Pool (13 states) added: “these retirements have tightened our supply margins and almost exponentially increased reliability risks… a large amount of around-the-clock generation was retired and largely replaced with weather-dependent resources” (i.e. wind and solar).
These warnings were echoed by the National Electric Reliability Council (NERC) last December:
“Additional coal-fired generator retirements… have caused a sharp decline in anticipated resources beginning next summer (2025) … new generation is insufficient to make up for generator retirements and load growth”
The messages here are that wind and solar are intermittent and cannot provide the 24/7 supply needed in an advanced technological society. Natural gas is the most price volatile fuel, which only last year ranged from $1.72 per million BTU to $4.20, an increase of 145% in just 12 months. And even optimistic projections of nuclear power recognize the formidable obstacles of cost, opposition and a defunct supply chain.
Given these constraints on other fuels, the US needs to expand coal-based generation capacity to stabilize the grid and meet significant growth in power demand over the next two decades. This expansion should take place along several dimensions: (1) Keep existing plants operating and, where possible, increase their capacity, (2) Recommission recently closed plants that were prematurely retired and (3) Build new plants using the advanced clean coal technologies being successfully employed in other parts of the world (e.g. Supercritical combustion) and even in the US (e.g. Prairie State in Illinois).
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
