The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has released details of a new rule to protect mine workers from silica dust—the most significant contributor to the resurgence of black lung disease. The new rule halves the exposure limit to silica dust and gives MSHA the ability to issue citations and fines if workers are overexposed. Labor leaders have been calling for an update to the rule—which had not been updated since 1985—for several years.

In response to the new rule, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

“This new rule will save lives. It is strong and will finally hold companies accountable for putting their workers in danger. Too many lives have been lost to a resurgence of black lung disease that should be unthinkable in the 21^st century. We thank the Biden administration for doing what administration after administration before it failed to prioritize.”