Mining group seeks court review of coal dust rule
WASHINGTON (AP) — The mining industry is seeking a court review of the Obama administration's new rule aimed at cutting the amount of coal dust in coal mines.
The National Mining Association, the Alabama Coal Association and others filed the petition Thursday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh District in Atlanta.
On Friday, the National Mining Association asked the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration to postpone the effective date of the rule pending judicial review.
A separate challenge was filed by Ohio-based Murray Energy in the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.
The rule, announced last month, is aimed at reducing black lung disease. Among other things, it lowers the overall dust standard from 2.0 to 1.5 milligrams per cubic meter of air.
