At least 34 centers run by the Mine Safety and Health Administration , which conduct regular inspections of quarries and mines to ensure worker safety, are facing terminated leases as part of federal funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency and the General Services Administraion. Credit: arbyreed, Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 by Emily Dieckman
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which works to protect U.S. miners from injury, illness, and death on the job, is among the latest federal agencies targeted for cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In collaboration with the General Services Administration, or GSA, DOGE has begun terminating leases for hundreds of offices and buildings for groups such as NOAA, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, geological surveys in several states, and the National Park Service. According to coverage by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Grist, and others, the list includes at least 34 centers run by MSHA, which conduct regular inspections of quarries and mines to ensure worker safety.
It is unclear whether the lease terminations will involve layoffs or relocating workers to other MSHA office locations.
When MSHA first began operation under the Mine Act of 1977, 242 U.S. miners died in mining accidents. In 2025, there were 31, according to the MSHA website.
Federal regulators at MSHA also created a rule, set to take effect in April, which cuts in half the amount of silica allowed in air, in an effort to reduce a new form of black lung disease.
Wayne Palmer, tapped by President Trump to be the next leader of MSHA and who held the position during Trump’s first term, recently served as an executive at the Essential Minerals Association, which filed a legal brief challenging the new rule.
In a statement provided to several news outlets, a GSA spokesperson said: “A component of our space consolidation plan will be the termination of many soft term leases. To the extent these terminations affect public facing facilities and/or existing tenants, we are working with our agency partners to secure suitable alternative space.”
In a statement, United Mine Workers of America International President Cecil E. Roberts said the organization was “troubled” by the news. To keep workers safe, she added, both unions representing workers’ best interests and government agencies enforcing laws are necessary.
In their absence, “workers’ safety will be left solely in the hands of employers. History has shown us time and time again that doing so is a recipe for disaster, especially in the mining industry.”
McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.
Original article published by Eos