Coal Mining in America: Federal and State Regulations ~ All About Coal ~ American Coal Foundation

Coal Mining in America: Federal and State Regulations

Coal mining can be dangerous work, but it is much safer today, thanks in part to federal and state laws and regulations enacted to raise standards to protect coal miners and otherwise regulate the coal industry. In addition to these regulations, advancements in technology and training have helped to lower risks associated with working in coal mines. New regulations also protect the environment from potential damage caused by mining, producing, and burning coal.

Federal and State Laws
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was the first national surface mining law. Enacted during the late 1970s, it has led to the development of strict regulations in the industry. In addition, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) regulates surface coal mining, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regularly inspects coal mines.

Other federal laws that affect the coal mining industry include the following:

National Historic Preservation Act (1966), which governs the preservation of historic properties throughout the United States
National Environmental Policy Act (1969), which established a national policy for the environment
Endangered Species Act (1973), which governs the protection of endangered species
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976), which governs the control of hazardous wastes
Clean Water Act (1977), which regulates the discharge of pollutants into water
Clean Air Act (1990), which regulates the discharge of pollutants into the air

Other regulations vary from state to state but typically include coal surface mining and reclamation laws, environmental policy acts, surface water discharge permits, construction permits, air quality permits, solid waste disposal, and mine operating permits.

Protecting Coal Miners
It may come as a surprise that the coal mining industry's injury rate is lower than that of many other industries, such as construction and manufacturing. The number of occupational injuries in coal mining is also lower than injury figures reported by grocery stores, department stores, hospitals, and hotels.

The number of injuries reported in coal mining has been steadily declining over the past several years. In 2001, the coal mining industry had a total of 6,093 injuries—less than half the number that was reported just 10 years earlier.

Advanced training and safety measures have helped to lower these numbers. As part of the measures taken to protect coal miners and other employees who work in the mining industry, each underground mine must have a mine rescue team available in case of an emergency. Composed of seven or eight volunteers, each team has undergone special training in the detection of mine gases, the use of breathing equipment, and firefighting.

Protecting the Environment
The federal and state laws that are designed to protect the environment are often surpassed by coal mining companies' own guidelines. Many coal mining operations conduct these and other practices:

Monitoring the air in mines to help prevent lung disease
Controlling coal dust by washing the coal or spraying mine walls with limestone
Controlling gas emissions when coal is burned
Reclaiming mined areas to restore air, land, and water resources and wildlife habitats to their condition prior to mining (or to an even better condition)
Voluntarily cleaning up abandoned mine lands (lands that were mined before environmental legislation)
Creating new wetlands or improving existing wetlands in an effort to provide a habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife

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