Republican Lawmakers Seek To Block Funding On Black Lung Regulation

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/07/17/156908140/republican-lawmakers-seek-to-block-funding-on-black-lung-regulation

By Howard Berkes

Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee have inserted into a broad appropriations bill language that would block funding for a Labor Department effort to reduce the occurrence of black lung, the disease that afflicts coal miners exposed to excessive mine dust.

The bill covers appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013 for the Departments of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services. Tucked away deep inside the measure is this language:

"SEC. 118. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to continue the development of or to promulgate, administer, enforce, or otherwise implement the Lowering Miners' Exposure to Coal Mine Dust, Including 20 Continuous Personal Dust Monitors regulation (Regulatory Identification Number 1219-AB64) being developed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor."

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) proposes cutting in half the limits on coal miners' exposure to coal dust. The agency's proposed rulemaking also establishes the use of Personal Dust Monitors which measure dust exposure in real time.

The 2013 fiscal year begins Oct. 1. A rider for FY 2012 blocked the rulemaking until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issues a report on the validity of research that shows black lung disease has doubled in the last decade. The data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also shows that diagnoses of the worst stages of the disease have quadrupled since the 1980's in eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia.

FULL story at link.

[randome]

1. Who gives a shit if the occurrence has doubled or not.

Try to prevent it from occurring as much as possible.

Lazy ass Republicans! They want to draw a big salary and do absolutely shit for their jobs!

[montanacowboy]

2. Hey Joe Manchin

how bout splaining that to the miners in your state and those crackers who voted for a felon in jail in the primary who beat the President?

stick the repukian policies in their ignorant faces