Legislature wrong to roll back mine-safety protections without study or public notice

Lawmakers are trying to do away with an important requirement to protect coal miners — without the usual process of holding public hearings and engaging in public discussion. Instead, the Senate quietly proposed a state budget that would significantly reduce funding for the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing. And, in a last minute addition to the budget discussion, the budget conference committee agreed to reduce state inspections of coal mines to four per year.