Trump Administration Fails to Loosen Mine Inspection Rule

The D.C. Circuit upheld an Obama-era mine inspection standard requiring companies to inspect mines before miners begin work and to keep records of hazardous conditions in the mine, even if they’re promptly corrected.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s Aug. 23 decision affects all mine operators covered by the Federal Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977.

The Trump administration’s Labor Department tried to relax the rules in 2018 when the Mine Safety and Health Administration amended the inspection requirements to allow examinations to occur before or as miners began work and to allow mine ...