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News Release

MSHA awards $8.4M in state grants in 47 states

Funds provide U.S. mine workers with safety and health training

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded $8,441,000 in grant funding to 47 states and the Navajo Nation to reduce mining accidents, injuries and illnesses by supporting safety and health training courses and other programs.

Grantees will use the funds to provide miners with federally mandated training. The grants cover training and retraining of miners working at surface and underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines, including miners engaged in shell dredging or employed at surface stone, sand and gravel mining operations.

Grants were awarded in fiscal year 2015 based on applications from states, and they are administered by state mine inspectors' offices, state departments of labor, and state-supported colleges and universities. Each recipient tailors the program to the needs of its mines and miners — including mining conditions and hazards miners may encounter — and provides technical assistance.

"Training of our nation's miners is critical to miners' safety and health, and thousands of miners receive training through these state grants," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.

Authorized by the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, the state's grants programs have received funds to provide safety and health training to miners since 1971.

In addition to safety and health training, some states use these grants to support their mine emergency response efforts and other Mine Act functions.

Editor's note: A list of grantees follows this release.

MSHA FY 2015 State Grant Awards

State

Grantee

City

Amount

Alabama

Bevill State Community College

Sumiton

$204,244.79

Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks

$91,334.69

Arizona

Arizona State Mine Inspector

Phoenix

$290,210.69

Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Labor

Little Rock

$104,926.56

California

California Department of Industrial Relations

Chico

$290,215.70

Colorado

Colorado Department of Natural Resources

Denver

$204,481.31

Connecticut

Central Connecticut State University

New Britain

$57,494.34

Florida

Tallahassee Community College

Tallahassee

$130,239.18

Georgia

Technical College System of Georgia

Atlanta

$154,593.69

Idaho

North Idaho College

Post Falls

$110,877.63

Illinois

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Springfield

$209,016.28

Indiana

Vincennes University

Vincennes

$200,665.93

Iowa

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges

Davenport

$146,098.02

Kansas

Hutchinson Community College

Hutchinson

$93,653.79

Kentucky

Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet

Frankfort

$543,314.84

Louisiana

Northshore Technical Community College

Greensburg

$81,798.74

Maine

Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards

Augusta

$76,609.33

Maryland

Maryland Department of the Environment

La Plata

$53,666.92

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards

Boston

$67,424.15

Michigan

Michigan Technological University

Houghton

$196,592.98

Minnesota

Minnesota State Colleges & Universities

St. Paul

$275,951.36

Mississippi

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Jackson

$46,760.75

Missouri

Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations

Jefferson City

$202,845.72

Montana

Montana Department of Labor & Industry

Helena

$150,000

Navajo Nation

Minerals Department

Window Rock

$25,055.05

Nebraska

Board of Regents, University of Nebraska

Kearney

$67,115.47

Nevada

Nevada Department of Business and Industry

Carson City

$270,828.10

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Department of Resources & Economic Development

Concord

$47,949.36

New Jersey

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Trenton

$43,139.79

New Mexico

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro

$154,120.65

New York

New York State Department of Labor

Albany

$249,541.32

North Carolina

North Carolina Department of Labor

Raleigh

$141,099.04

North Dakota

North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education

Bismarck

$90,524.91

Ohio

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Columbus

$231,577.85

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Department of Mines

Oklahoma City

$125,016.70

Oregon

Eastern Oregon University

La Grande

$111,260.48

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Bureau of Mine Safety

Uniontown

$530,290.21

South Carolina

South Carolina State Board for Technical & Comprehensive Education

Columbia

$57,065.41

South Dakota

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

Rapid City

$68,903.40

Tennessee

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Nashville

$148,451.19

Texas

University of Texas at Austin

Austin

$457,025.23

Utah

Utah State University Eastern

Price

$183,905.10

Vermont

Vermont Department of Labor

Montpelier

$73,564.64

Virginia

Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy

Big Stone Gap

$229,449.17

Washington

Eastern Washington University

Cheney

$135,853.51

West Virginia

West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training

Charleston

$538,687.67

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

Madison

$241,852.44

Wyoming

Northern Wyoming Community College District

Gillette

$235,705.92

Total = $8,441,000.00

Agency
Mine Safety & Health Administration
Date
September 30, 2015
Release Number
15-1939-NAT
Media Contact: Amy Louviere
Phone Number