A former coal miner with black lung disease is calling out the Trump administration for indefinitely pausing a federal safety rule while continuing to promote coal industry revival, arguing that worker protections should be paramount if the government truly wants to save coal.

According to the Kentucky Lantern, William McCool, president of the Black Lung Association of Southeastern Kentucky, says the administration's move is a betrayal of miners who spent four decades fighting for protections from silica dust.

McCool worked underground for 40 years before being diagnosed with black lung in 2000. He continued mining for 12 more years despite his diagnosis, working long hours to provide for his family. He attended the funeral of a 48-year-old miner with black lung last month, a stark illustration of how the disease is striking younger workers than ever before.

The Trump administration last week announced an indefinite pause on enforcement of a silica dust rule that was finalized in April 2024 and would have lowered the permissible exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter. The rule was expected to prevent an estimated 1,067 deaths and 3,746 cases of silica-related illnesses over a 60-year period.

"It's a rule coal miners fought for decades to secure," McCool said. "We finally got it in 2024. But, since then, the Trump Administration negotiated with mining companies to weaken it before they hit pause on implementation all together."

The pause comes despite the administration's stated commitment to "reinvigorate" the coal industry. Research shows that black lung cases have skyrocketed among young miners, with one in five coal miners in central Appalachia showing evidence of the disease—the highest rate recorded in 25 years.

McCool criticized the disconnect between rhetoric and action. "If this President or any politician truly wants to talk about the coal industry, they need to start by protecting the people who make it possible: the miners," he said.

Beyond the paused rule, McCool pointed to inadequate black lung benefits and systemic barriers miners face when seeking compensation. He described initial denials as standard practice and noted that disability stipends haven't kept pace with living costs, forcing disabled miners to choose between groceries and medicine.

The pause also comes as federal agencies face staffing reductions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has been significantly downsized, affecting the Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program that screens and monitors respiratory health of miners.

McCool said miners are cutting more rock than ever before in pursuit of deeper coal seams, exposing them to more silica dust—which is about 20 times more toxic than coal dust alone. Without the rule in place, he warned, "they are in trouble."