VA Senators Seek Explanation for Mining Deaths, Staff Shortages

Last updated Feb 28, 2026

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US Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine have written to the US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) expressing concern over the agency’s response to a fatal mining accident in West Virginia in November 2025. The lawmakers are worried that staffing shortages at MSHA are compromising the agency’s capacity to safeguard mine workers. They also raised questions about the decision not to use a seismograph during rescue efforts and how workforce reductions affect the protection of mine workers.

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U.S. Senators Express Concerns over MSHA’s Response to West Virginia Mine Accident

U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats from Virginia, have expressed deep concern over the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) response to a mining accident that occurred in West Virginia in November 2025. The accident resulted in the tragic loss of a miner’s life at the Rolling Thunder Mine in Nicholas County, West Virginia.

The senators addressed a letter to the MSHA questioning the agency’s decision not to deploy a seismograph during rescue efforts and further implicating staffing shortages in hindering the agency’s ability to protect mine workers, particularly in Southwest Virginia.

In the letter, the senators stated: “We write regarding the tragic Rolling Thunder Mine accident that occurred in Nicholas County, West Virginia on November 8, 2025, resulting in the devastating loss of one miner. We have serious concern over reports that have raised questions about the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) response to the emergency,”

According to the MSHA’s own reports, the number of mining fatalities rose by 27% in 2025. This alarming increase has raised serious safety concerns across the industry. The MSHA, with 1,409 employees, is currently operating with a workforce that is 14% less than the 1,637 employees funded in the agency’s fiscal year 2025 appropriations. MSHA inspections, carried out at mines requiring more enforcement oversight, have seen a drastic decline of 75% during the first five months of the Trump Administration.

Senators Warner and Kaine have a record of advocating for miners, retirees, and their families. They recently managed to secure more than $600,000 for Norton Community Hospital and Black Lung Clinic during the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding process. Furthermore, they played a crucial role in securing a permanent extension of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund’s excise tax through the Inflation Reduction Act.

For more details, read the full letter addressed to the MSHA.

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