ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that it has allocated $8,348,423 in health and safety training grants for 46 states and the Navajo Nation in fiscal year 2014.
Grantees will use the funds to provide federally mandated training to miners. 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 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 also provides technical assistance.
The state grants program was authorized by the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. States first received funding to provide health and safety training to miners in 1971.
"These state grants support the safety and health mission contained in the Mine Act," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "These federal funds will enable miners to better prepare for the task at hand and arm them with the proper knowledge to avoid accidents and injuries." In addition to health and safety 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.
* Click here to tweet this release! MSHA FY 2014 State Grant Awards | State | Grantee | City | Amount | | Ala.
| Bevill State Community College | Sumiton | $199,499 | | Alaska | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks | $51,092 | | Ariz.
| Arizona State Mine Inspector | Phoenix | $287,287 | | Ark.
| Arkansas Department of Labor | Little Rock | $99,335 | | Calif.
| California Department of Industrial Relations | Chico | $338,619 | | Colo.
| Colorado Department of Natural Resources | Denver | $210,406 | | Conn.
| Central Connecticut State University | New Britain | $54,094 | | Fla.
| Tallahassee Community College | Tallahassee | $171,509 | | Ga.
| Technical College System of Georgia | Atlanta | $192,841 | | Ill.
| Illinois Department of Natural Resources | Springfield | $219,948 | | Ind.
| Vincennes University | Vincennes | $191,632 | | Iowa | Eastern Iowa Community Colleges | Davenport | $115,553 | | Kan.
| Hutchinson Community College | Hutchinson | $83,067 | | Ky.
| Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet | Frankfort | $627,659 | | La.
| Northshore Technical Community College | Greensburg | $81,643 | | Maine | Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards | Augusta | $55,719 | | Md.
| Maryland Department of the Environment | La Plata | $57,843 | | Mass.
| Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards | Boston | $65,651 | | Mich.
| Michigan Technological University | Houghton | $215,470 | | Minn.
| Minnesota State Colleges & Universities | St. Paul | $273,858 | | Miss.
| Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | Jackson | $60,910 | | Mo.
| Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations | Jefferson City | $206,947 | | Mont.
| Montana Department of Labor & Industry | Helena | $137,460 | | Navajo Nation | Minerals Department | Window Rock | $26,839 | | Neb.
| Board of Regents, University of Nebraska | Kearney | $66,623 | | Nev.
| Nevada Department of Business and Industry | Carson City | $235,157 | | N.H.
| New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development | Concord | $40,683 | | N.J.
| New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development | Trenton | $49,957 | | N.M.
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | Socorro | $147,305 | | N.Y.
| New York State Department of Labor | Albany | $258,884 | | N.C.
| North Carolina Department of Labor | Raleigh | $153,133 | | N.D.
| North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education | Bismarck | $58,544 | | Ohio | Ohio Department of Natural Resources | Columbus | $262,862 | | Okla.
| Oklahoma Department of Mines | Oklahoma City | $107,800 | | Ore.
| Eastern Oregon University | La Grande | $105,729 | | Pa.
| Pennsylvania Bureau of Mine Safety | Uniontown | $533,392 | | S.C.
| South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education | Columbia | $65,831 | | S.D.
| South Dakota School of Mines & Technology | Rapid City | $59,313 | | Tenn.
| Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development | Nashville | $139,864 | | Texas | University of Texas at Austin | Austin | $429,723 | | Utah | Utah State University Eastern | Price | $172,025 | | Vt.
| Vermont Department of Labor | Montpelier | $70,482 | | Va.
| Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy | Big Stone Gap | $268,849 | | Wash.
| Eastern Washington University | Cheney | $148,423 | | W.Va.
| West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training | Charleston | $563,256 | | Wis.
| Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services | Madison | $192,249 | | Wyo.
| Northern Wyoming Community College District | Gillette | $193,457 | | Total = $8,348,423 |
