Photo: Tyler Stableford/gettyimages
Washington — A group of House Democrats is requesting more information about the Trump administration’s decision to cut staff at NIOSH and other moves that they claim “disregard the well-being of the people who sustain the nation’s energy infrastructure.”
In a Sept. 9 letter addressed to President Donald Trump, they list their concerns for “America’s energy workers and for the communities in which they work and live.” The letter details the “undermining of black lung protections,” including the potential elimination of NIOSH’s Pittsburgh Mining Research Division and the termination of the agency’s Respiratory Health Division.
The lawmakers – led by Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) – also point to the enforcement delay of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s final rule lowering the permissible exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica, “even though silica dust is the leading cause of black lung disease and other deadly respiratory conditions among both coal and other types of miners.”
Further, the group criticizes the White House’s proposal to shutter the Chemical Safety Board.
“The CSB has played a crucial role in high-profile investigations,” the letter states, “including the 2022 BP refinery fire in Oregon, OH, that killed two workers, and the 2012 Chevron refinery fire in Richmond, CA, that sent 15,000 community members to area hospitals. You are proceeding to shutter this vital safety board despite industry opposition to the move.”
The Senate and House appropriations committees both recently approved bills that include CSB funding for fiscal year 2026.
The letter includes a series of questions that the lawmakers request written answers to by Sept. 22 to “better understand your administration’s position regarding energy workers and their communities.” Among the questions:
- What justification does your administration offer for slashing NIOSH’s budget and operations, including the elimination of black lung care mandated by Congress? What is your administration’s rationale for halting enforcement of the silica exposure rule despite its well-documented link to black lung disease?
- Why has your administration sought to eliminate CSB despite its importance in improving industrial safety and preventing future accidents? What are your plans to fulfill the vital role of independent investigation of catastrophic industrial chemical accidents if CSB is shuttered?
- What steps, if any, has your administration taken to ensure energy sector workers and affected communities have a voice in decisions that impact their health, safety and livelihoods?
“American ‘energy dominance’ depends on the individuals who perform difficult and often dangerous work every day to power our country,” the letter continues. “Yet, your administration has weakened workplace protections, pollution standards and collective bargaining rights – displaying a troubling pattern of disregard for the well-being of the people who sustain the nation’s energy infrastructure.”
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 Safety+Health an NSC publication