Sen. Paul says black lung regulations may prove too costly » Evansville Courier & Press
WASHINGTON — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is speaking out against efforts to bolster regulations aimed at reducing the incidence of black lung disease that often afflicts coal miners, arguing that the measure may prove too costly.
Paul's criticism, which came last week at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, sounded a note similar to one offered by Indiana's 8th District Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind. of Newburgh, in February when he asserted that many miners were responsible for bringing the malady upon themselves.
At issue is an effort by the Mine Safety and Health Administration to eradicate black lung, an often incurable disease caused by the inhalation of coal dust. The goal is to reduce by half the amount of particulate matter miners are exposed to over a two-year period. The proposed rule is opposed by mining interests.
During the hearing, Paul, a R-Ky of Bowling Green Republican and an avowed opponent of governmental regulation, credited the federal government with actually having done "a pretty good job'' in tackling the black lung problem. But he further maintained that stricter regulations might go too far.
"Every regulation doesn't save lives," Paul said. "There is a point or a balancing act between when a regulation becomes burdensome and our energy production is stifled. We have to assess the cost."
Paul mistakenly said the number of black lung cases has declined, but the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says the incidence has grown in recent years after a steady decline.
The percentage of miners with 30 or more years experience who have black lung rose from 6.8 percent in 1995-99 to 9.4 percent in 2000-04 and to 9.9 percent in 2005-06.
About 1,500 miners die each year from the condition.
Coal mining directly accounts for about 3,000 Hoosier jobs, almost all of them in the state's southwestern corner. Indiana ranks seventh among the nation's 26 coal-producing states, mining 35.9 million short tons, or 3.1 percent of the nation's total in 2008.
According to NIOSH, 133 Hoosiers died from black lung from 1996 to 2005, ranking the state ninth nationally. Kentucky, which ranks third behind Wyoming and West Virginia in coal production, suffered 858 deaths over the same period, placing it fourth. The most recent years totals are available.
