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Thomas Perez on Environment |
We're here today to say: Enough. We have the tools to do something about this devastating but preventable disease. It's time to muster the will to do it. The nation made a promise to American miners when we passed the Coal Act in 1969--at long last, we're making good on that promise.
Today's rule will save lives. It will reduce the amount of unhealthy coal dust that miners breathe into their lungs; it will make use of cutting-edge technology to better measure dust levels; it requires mine operators to fix unhealthy dust levels when they find them--not days or weeks later; and it expands the medical surveillance program to improve early detection of black lung.