- The Kentucky House of Representatives passed House Bill 85, allowing small-scale coal mining operations to reduce the number of miners and require emergency medical training for each underground shift.
- Supporters argued the measure was needed to support small mining operations in Kentucky as the industry faces decline.
- Critics have expressed concerns that the bill would make miners less safe and sacrifice safety for economic gain.
The Kentucky House of Representatives voted Monday to allow the state’s smallest coal mining operation to reduce the number of miners assigned emergency medical training for each underground shift.
In a state once known as a coal-producing powerhouse, supporters argued the measure was needed to help small mining operations continue amid an industry downturn. Critics of the bill warned it would roll back important safety measures enacted several years ago after a fatal mining accident in Kentucky.
Democratic state Rep. Ashley Tuckett Rafferty, who represents coal-fired power plants, said, “When you think about the possibility of trading the safety of coal-mining families in exchange for what appears to be a nominal economic benefit… It’s really troubling,” he said. Native to eastern Kentucky.
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The bill – House Bill 85 – passed the House on a 75-18 vote and then goes to the Senate. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.
Kentucky State Capitol Building (January 14, 2020, Frankfort, Kentucky) Underground Shift. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
The bill would cut in half the number of mine emergency technicians required to work when there are fewer than 15 miners on a shift. Currently, he requires two METs per shift, but the bill would reduce that to one.
Republican state Rep. Bill Wesley said his bill was motivated by examples of miners being sent home after entire shifts were shut down because not enough METs showed up for work.
“Nobody was paid,” Wesley said in a House of Commons debate. “Everyone went home, and I think this is the bill we need to help all coal miners.”
Tackett-Lafferty said he spoke to miners with more than 20 years of experience who recall only one time a mine had been closed due to a MET shortage. He told her to reschedule her entire shift for a few days later to make up for her lost production, she said.
Kentucky mine safety attorney Tony Oppegaard said the proposal would weaken safety standards.
“I think that’s short-sighted and there’s an easy solution,” he said in a recent phone interview. “A simple solution would be for mine operators to require more miners to be METs as a condition of employment.”
Oppegaard said MET typically comes at an additional $1 per hour, making it a cheaper option for coal operators. With two He METs per shift, he said the cost would add $16 per shift.
“This is just pennies to the coal companies,” he said.
METs are miners trained to provide emergency medical care and stabilize the condition of injured miners. Oppegaard said the two-MET requirement per shift is part of a larger safety measure passed by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2007, stemming from the death of a miner in eastern Kentucky in 2005. He said it was emitting.
The miner was struck by a coal truck at a mine in Harlan County, according to a federal inspection report. He suffered “near amputation injuries.” The report said his injuries were made worse because he was not given first aid on the ground before being taken to an ambulance. The report said workers at the mine were not trained in first aid.
Tuckett Rafferty said the safety measures of having multiple METs on site were not the cause of the mine closure.
Supporters of the bill include Republican Congressman Jim Gooch Jr., who represents coal areas in western Kentucky. Gooch comes from a mining family and had previously worked in the mines himself. He said the bill recognizes the reality for some businesses with as few as 10 employees working shifts.
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“I don’t think this poses a threat to the safety of miners,” he said.
The bill would continue to require two METs for shifts of 15 or more but fewer than 51 miners.
Coal employment in Kentucky has declined sharply over the past decade due to declining demand for coal.
Kentucky employed about 4,700 miners at the end of 2023, about 2,700 of whom worked in underground mines, according to numbers provided by the state, but the total number of miners in 2013 was There were approximately 12,000 people.
Falling natural gas prices and tightening environmental regulations are forcing utilities to move away from purchasing coal.
