US Department of Labor Awards More Than $10.5 Million in Grants to Support Mine Safety, Health Training Across the Nation
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded more than $10.5 million in grants to reduce mining accidents, injuries, and illnesses by supporting training and education programs.
The agency is awarding these grants to support the delivery of federally mandated training for new and experienced miners at surface and underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines. MSHA is awarding grants in 45 states, the Navajo Nation, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Keith Sonderling
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership we’re investing billions of dollars into critical mining projects and resources for mining education,” said Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “Today’s grant announcement furthers the Department’s goal to expand mining across the United States to support this Administration’s goals to provide critical resources to the workers industries that continue to expand in America.”
States and territories apply for grant funding, which is then awarded to state mine inspectors’ offices, state departments of labor, and state-supported colleges and universities. Training and education programs are tailored locally to address conditions and hazards miners may experience.
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
US Factory Output Stays Resilient Despite Headwinds
US factory production increased in September, but lost considerable momentum in the third quarter amid headwinds from the Middle East conflict, which has snarled supply chains and raised energy prices.
The industrial activity strengthened further in Sep-26, with industrial production (IP) growth accelerating to +2.2%yoy (Aug-26: +1.6%yoy). The improvement was broad-based, supported by stronger utilities output (+8.7%yoy), steady mining activity (+2.8%yoy) and manufacturing production (+1.1%yoy). The latest reading marked the strongest IP growth since Aug-26, indicating resilient industrial activity despite a still restrictive interest rate environment.
Manufacturing production increased +0.3%mom in Sep-26, reversing the -0.2%mom decline in Aug-26. On an annual basis, Manufacturing production growth accelerated to +1.1%yoy from +0.9%yoy previously. The increase was driven by gains in primary metals, machinery, electrical equipment and chemicals, although this was partly offset by a decline in motor vehicle and parts production. Within the 3Q26, manufacturing output expanded +0.7%qoq, supported by a +3.8%qoq increase in durable goods production, including a strong +28.4%qoq surge in semiconductor and related electronic component output.
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
Belle Ayr, Eagle Butte Mines Receive $25 Million USDA Loan Guarantee
The Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte coal mines have received a $25 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support a change in ownership and help cover ongoing costs.
Eagle Specialty Materials LLC received the Business and Industry Loan Guarantee for the two mines, which produce thermal coal in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. The mines produce coal with low sulfur and ash content.
The investment is meant to help keep the mines running and support workers and rural communities that depend on the energy industry.
The funding was part of $146 million in loans and grants that USDA Rural Development provided across rural Wyoming during the 2026 fiscal year. The agency announced the investments Oct. 19 in Casper.
Nationwide, the USDA invested nearly $25 billion in rural communities during the fiscal year.
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
West Virginia Public Service Commission Revises Power Plant Regulations
The West Virginia Public Service Commission has entered revised rules governing electric generating capacity.
Much of the public debate has been over how specific requirements could push utilities to run coal plants more or whether the policies would result in higher electricity prices for consumers.
Derrick Price Williamson
“I think the Commission’s rules encompass a lot of complex issues pertaining to how West Virginia’s electric utilities operate their power plants as part of the PJM system,” said Derrick Price Williamson, executive director of the West Virginia Energy Users Group, which represents many of the state’s largest industrial power consumers.
“I think most importantly from a customer affordability standpoint is that those rules make clear that no power plants should be dispatched – regardless of fuel source — if doing so is uneconomic, meaning operating those plants would cause captive ratepayers to bear more costs for power than the market would otherwise provide.”
He added, “Given that existing West Virginia business and industry and everyday West Virginians are struggling with power affordability, it is critical that the rules capture this protection.”
Last year, the Legislature passed a sweeping policy called the Power Generation and Consumption Act with most of the focus on data centers and their power sources. The Public Service Commission’s role addressed different matters, though.
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
WV Senator Must Pay Coal Mining Company Debt, Judges Rule
West Virginia Senator Jim Justice must pay more than $25 million to a unit of Sompo International over unpaid premiums and collateral on surety bonds for his family’s coal companies, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The decision, in Lexon Insurance Company v. James C. Justice II, was issued Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lexon, based in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, is a subsidiary of Bermuda-based Sompo International.
Jim Justice
Surety bonds let coal companies obtain mining permits by guaranteeing they will restore mined land. Unlike a typical insurer, a surety can’t cancel a bond when premiums go unpaid, so Lexon relied on annual premiums and collateral to limit exposure that has exceeded $100 million. The Justice family’s coal companies began buying Lexon bonds in 2010 and fell behind on premiums around 2016 as the coal market weakened, according to the ruling.
In February 2019, the companies signed an amended agreement promising to post $20 million in collateral and to pay overdue premiums at $200,000 a month until a defined “Total Indebtedness” was paid in full, the ruling said. Mr. Justice personally guaranteed those obligations. The companies paid only $5.75 million of the collateral and stopped paying premiums in 2021. Lexon demanded payment from Mr. Justice in 2023.
To continue reading, click here to view the full article on CoalZoom.com.
CoalZoom.com - Your Foremost Source for Coal News.
