Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders aimed at reinvigorating the coal industry, but U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said recent layoffs at a Morgantown-based federal office could affect health outcomes for the state’s coal miners.

In an April 21 letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Capito urged Kennedy to reverse course on an April 1 reduction in force (RIF) notification for all HHS agencies and programs.

Approximately 200 jobs would be eliminated at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown as part of a nationwide reduction of approximately 2,400 NIOSH jobs.

“I believe in the President’s vision to right size our government, but I do not think eliminating the NIOSH coal programs and research will accomplish that goal,” wrote Capito, R-W.Va. “The mission and work conducted by the specially trained NIOSH employees is not duplicative of any other government program.

“I am concerned that the RIFs at NIOSH will undermine the vital health programs important to so many West Virginians,” Capito continued. “I urge you to bring back the NIOSH employees immediately so they can continue to support our nation’s coal industry.”

NIOSH, an agency within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducts research into workplace-related injuries and illnesses. In Morgantown, NIOSH conducts research on coal-related health issues, such as respiratory diseases like Black Lung, traumatic mine injuries, and coal mine safety.

“The NIOSH Mining Program works to eliminate mining fatalities and injuries,” Capito wrote. “Research on rock dust has resulted in safety changes to prevent explosions in underground mines. NIOSH research has also resulted in industry standards for pillar design and roof support programs to prevent collapse in underground mines.

“NIOSH’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program…studies respiratory disease and provides black lung screenings to coal miners,” Capito continued. “It is my understanding that the RIF impacted every employee in these important programs.”

Capito chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. She recently met with Kennedy to discuss her concerns with the proposed layoffs for the Morgantown NIOSH facility.

“I was pleased you agreed with me that the work happening at NIOSH is unique across the federal government,” Capito wrote. “Now, I ask that the Department bring back not only the functions of the NIOSH coal offices and programs, but also some of the specialized employees impacted by the April 1 HHS-wide Reduction in Force…who do this important work in Morgantown…”

Trump signed an executive order on April 8 aimed at encouraging the continued use of coal for electric generation and steel manufacturing. Among other things, the executive order designates coal as a critical mineral along with an earlier executive order listing uranium, copper, potash, and gold. The order also lifted barriers to coal mining and leases on federal land, the rescinding of agency policies moving the nation away from coal for electric generation.

“The President’s Executive Orders are welcome news for our miners and will help ensure all Americans have access to affordable and reliable energy resources like coal,” Capito wrote. “As the President recognizes the importance of coal, we must also recognize the health of our miners and I encourage you to bring back the NIOSH coal programs and researchers that will help ensure the President’s vision to unleash American energy can be done safely.”

In an April 8 press release, Kennedy said HHS would release further details in June on his reorganization of HHS to “reduce redundant and duplicative program offices.”

“Over the coming months, I will be working to restructure the department as a whole, in partnership with Congress and others across the administration,” Kennedy said. “I did not come to Washington, D.C., to be a bureaucrat — I came here to drive change and to team with President Trump to improve and save the lives of countless Americans. That is what drives me every day. And I will do whatever it takes to make it happen.”