CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is one of several federal departments poised for budget reductions as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) strategy to cut spending. An outcome of these cuts could see nearly three dozen MSHA offices shutting down.
The agency primarily responsible for enforcing mine safety regulations in the U.S., MSHA, faces significant changes if plans move forward to terminate office leases. Established by President Donald Trump, the DOGE, currently led by Elon Musk, has earmarked 34 MSHA offices across 19 states for closure. Among these, Kentucky, the nation’s fifth-largest coal-producing state, is particularly affected, with seven offices set to close, leaving only two active facilities.
The proposed closures also impact various states, with Pennsylvania losing four offices, and California, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia each seeing two offices closing. Additionally, single-office closures are anticipated in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, another mining oversight body, might also see its facilities in Lexington, Kentucky, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, shut down. This agency was born during the Carter era, with a mission to rehabilitate lands harmed by strip mining and recover abandoned mine sites.
Financial considerations are at the core of these extensive changes, with the termination of MSHA leases expected to yield a cost saving of $18 million. The fate of current positions and possible relocation of inspectors from these offices remains uncertain.
MSHA has played a pivotal role in enhancing mining safety since its establishment within the Labor Department in 1978. The agency was formulated partly because state inspectors were perceived as ineffective in compelling coal companies to undertake potentially expensive safety measures for miners. MSHA is mandated to conduct quarterly inspections for underground mines and biannual inspections for surface mines. Inspectors evaluate every operational segment of a mine, scrutinizing safety measures like electrical and ventilation systems, impoundment dam integrity, and mining equipment safety.
In the past four decades, mining fatalities have sharply declined, thanks to a significant reduction in coal production. However, the proposed DOGE reductions might lead to further travel for MSHA inspectors, potentially compromising inspection thoroughness. A recent assessment by the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center suggests that nearly 17,000 health and safety checks were performed from early 2024 to February 2025 by the MSHA offices facing closure. Despite overseeing both metal and nonmetal mines, MSHA struggles with staffing shortages, having downsized its workforce by 27% over the last ten years, including a decrease of 30% in enforcement personnel and 50% specifically for coal mines.
The coal sector has endured a steady decline with the shift towards renewable energy sources and the conversion of coal-fired plants to natural gas, which is cheaper and cleaner. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal production was recorded at 1 billion tons in 2014 but dramatically decreased to 578 million tons by 2023. This declining trend has been ongoing for several decades.
Historically, coal mining fatalities numbered in the hundreds during the 1950s and 1960s. After MSHA’s inception, there was a notable reduction in deaths, dropping considerably in the past decade due to the closure of mining companies and job losses. Over the past five years, yearly fatalities have remained at or below 11. Employment within the coal sector did rebound slightly from 2022 to 2023, rising by 4.2% to a total of 45,476 jobs. West Virginia leads in miner employment with 14,000 workers, trailed by Kentucky with 5,000. Notably, West Virginia and Kentucky account for almost half of the nation’s 560 coal mines, while Wyoming, despite its scarce 15 mines, ranks as the top coal-producing state due to mechanized mining practices.