"Implementation of a previously approved federal rule meant to help prevent black lung in the nation’s coal miners has been delayed indefinitely, according to an update posted this week in the Federal Register.

According to the update, the Mine Safety and Health Administration will wait to implement most of the rule until a federal court case related to it plays out. It’s at least the fourth time implementation of the rule has been delayed, and this time there is no set date in sight for when the changes — which included cutting permissible limits for silica dust exposure in half for coal miners — could go into effect.

The rule was first finalized under the U.S. Department of Labor and MSHA in 2024. It was meant to go into effect last April, but was pushed back to August 2025. That month, it was pushed again to October. And in October, it was delayed yet again.

The lack of implementation stems from a lawsuit led by the National Sand, Stone and Gravel Association against the Labor Department requesting that the federal government block the implementation of the rule completely. None of the statutes affecting the NSSGA were slated to go into effect until 2027, per the rule."

Caity Coyne reports for West Virginia Watch April 9, 2026. [2]