MSHA to End Outdated Regulations on Equipment and Procedures
The Mine Safety and Health Administration will withdraw regulations governing “outdated effective dates and requirements” for various industry equipment and protocol, effective July 27.
On June 25, MSHA published multiple final rules stemming from a series of July 1, 2025, proposals that followed an Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump that “directed agencies to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens.”
The final rules address:
Approval of conveyor belts in underground coal mines
Blacksmith shops at surface metal and nonmetal mines
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Department of Commerce Initiates Section 232 Investigation of Anthracite Coal Imports
On June 29, 2026, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) initiated an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended, to determine the effects on the national security of imports of anthracite coal. For the purposes of this investigation, anthracite coal encompasses products classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) code 2701.11.0000 (Anthracite Coal) and 2701.12.0010 (Metallurgical Bituminous Coal). The scope of this investigation is primarily focused on these coal products that are considered critical materials for domestic steel production and industrial processes, including their role as derivative articles of steel for potential coverage under Section 232 tariffs.
Interested parties may submit written comments, data, analyses, or other information to the Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security at Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) no later than July 21, 2026. BIS is particularly interested in comments addressing:
The current and projected demand for anthracite coal in the United States;
The extent to which domestic production of anthracite coal can meet domestic demand;
The role of foreign supply chains, particularly of major exporters, in meeting United States demand for anthracite coal;
The concentration of U.S. imports of anthracite from a small number of suppliers or foreign nations and the associated risks;
The impact of foreign government subsidies and predatory trade practices on the competitiveness of anthracite producers in the United States;
The economic impact of artificially suppressed prices of anthracite due to unfair foreign trade practices and state-sponsored overproduction;
The potential for export restrictions by foreign nations, including the ability of foreign nations to weaponize their control over supplies of anthracite coal;
The feasibility of increasing domestic capacity for anthracite coal production to reduce import reliance;
The impact of current trade policies on domestic production of anthracite coal, and whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security;
The impact of the use or lack of use of anthracite coal on U.S. manufacturing employment;
The potential for foreign control or exploitation of the anthracite coal supply chain;
The future role of anthracite coal production of items essential to national security or in activities related to national security; and
Any other relevant factors.
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Core Natural Wins DOE Selection for Rare Earth Extraction Pilot
Core Natural Resources said its subsidiary, CONSOL Innovations LLC, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to pursue a multi-million-dollar grant supporting the recovery of critical minerals and rare earth elements from coal waste.
The funding, awarded through the DOE Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation under its "Mines & Metals Capacity Expansion – Piloting Byproduct Critical Minerals and Materials Recovery at Domestic Industrial Facilities" program, remains contingent on successful grant negotiations. The final award amount has not yet been disclosed.
If finalized, the funding will support the development of a pilot-scale facility designed to extract rare earth elements and other critical materials from coal waste tailings generated at Core's Pennsylvania Mining Complex.
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Endless Energy for America’s 250th
The United States’ 250th birthday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the people and industries that made America. And there is no debate, the coal industry and America’s miners have played an extraordinary role in building the nation. From powering the engines of commerce, to fueling the industries that won two world wars and built the infrastructure and prosperity that has driven the American dream, coal has been there at every turn.
There is an embarrassment of riches of fascinating and inspiring moments for America’s coal legacy, but coal’s importance during and just after the second World War deserves a close-up.
In “Baker of the Bread of Abundance,” Kent shows us a family sitting down for a meal with the warm glow of coal illuminating and warming the table. The family sits in reverence, perhaps prayer, thankful for the blessings bestowed upon them.
Answering the Call
As the United States headed towards war in 1940, the coal industry was still trying to recover from the blow of the Great Depression. But the colossal energy and material needs of the war effort would soon require an extraordinary mobilization and push U.S. production to record levels. In 1940, U.S. coal production was 512.8 million tons. By 1944, it had soared to 684.9 million tons as coal fueled the factories, power plants and furnaces that were the foundation of the arsenal of democracy. It would take until 1976 to exceed that level of production.
U.S. industrial productive capacity changed the course of the war. U.S. industry provided nearly two-thirds of all Allied military equipment – including 297,000 aircraft, 193,000 artillery pieces, 86,000 tanks and two million army trucks. American shipyards turned out nearly 9,000 warships. By the close of the war, the U.S was home to more than half of the world’s industrial production.
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