Labor Department Awards $10.5M to Strengthen Mine Safety Training Nationwide

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is distributing more than $10.5 million to 45 states, the Navajo Nation and the Northern Mariana Islands to support programs aimed at reducing mining accidents, injuries and illnesses.

• By Stasia DeMarco
• Nov 20, 2025

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded more than $10.5 million in grants to organizations in 45 states, the Navajo Nation, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to help reduce mining accidents, injuries, and illnesses, the agency announced Thursday.

The funding, distributed through the Mine Safety and Health Administration, will support programs that provide federally mandated safety and health training for miners working in surface and underground coal, metal, and nonmetal mines, as well as in shell dredging and sand, gravel, and stone operations.

“Restoring America’s global economic dominance starts with our hardworking miners, and it’s the Labor Department’s responsibility to help them accomplish this mission by keeping them safe on the job,” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. “The Trump administration will continue doing everything we can to protect blue-collar workers and ensure they have the resources they need to thrive.”

Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the department aims to work with both mine operators and miners to “provide secure working environments.”

“By investing more than $10 million to promote safety, we will ensure every miner returns home to their families after their shifts,” he said.

MSHA distributes state grants based on applications from states and territories. Funding typically goes to mine inspection agencies, state labor departments, and state-supported colleges and universities, which tailor training to the mining conditions and hazards in their regions.

MSHA State Grant Recipients and Award Amounts

• Bevill State Community College (Jasper, AL) $244,134
• University of Alaska at Fairbanks (Fairbanks, AK) $161,078
• Arizona State Mine Inspector’s Office (Phoenix, AZ) $445,545
• Navajo Nation Minerals Department (Window Rock, AZ) $46,430
• Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing (Little Rock, AR) $140,461
• Central Connecticut State University (New Britain, CT) $101,157
• Colorado Department of Natural Resources (Denver, CO) $265,048
• Tallahassee Community College (Tallahassee, FL) $208,973
• Technical College System of Georgia (Sandersville, GA) — $225,981
• Eastern Iowa Community College District (Davenport, IA) $201,921
• North Idaho College (Post Falls, ID) $177,439
• Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Springfield, IL) $251,087
• Vincennes University (Vincennes, IN) $155,405
• Hutchinson Community College & Area Vocational School (Hutchinson, KS) $144,551
• Kentucky Energy & Environment Cabinet (Frankfort, KY) $338,819
• Northshore Technical Community College (Lacombe, LA) $118,418
• Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (Boston, MA) $105,031
• Maryland Center for Environmental Training (La Plata, MD) $76,377
• Maine Department of Labor (Augusta, ME) $117,104
• Michigan Technological University (Houghton, MI) $291,052
• Minnesota State Colleges & Universities (St. Paul, MN) $407,358
• Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (Jefferson City, MO) $299,163
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan, MP) $18,571
• Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (Jackson, MS) $28,778
• Montana Department of Labor & Industry (Helena, MT) $221,609
• University of Nebraska at Kearney (Kearney, NE) $95,511
• New Hampshire Department of Business & Economic Affairs (Concord, NH) $83,257
• New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development (Trenton, NJ) $75,974
• New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology (Socorro, NM) $176,242
• Nevada Division of Industrial Relations (Carson City, NV) $432,949
• New York Department of Labor (Albany, NY) $347,221
• North Carolina Department of Labor (Raleigh, NC) $193,169
• North Dakota Department of Career & Technical Education (Bismarck, ND) $120,257
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Columbus, OH) $241,834
• Oklahoma Department of Mines (Wilburton, OK) $187,963
• Eastern Oregon University (La Grande, OR) $182,743
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (Harrisburg, PA) $578,386
• Tri-County Technical College (Pendleton, SC) $111,787
• South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (Rapid City, SD) $109,756
• Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development (Nashville, TN) $225,633
• University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX) $740,282
• Utah State University (Logan, UT) $284,615
• Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals & Energy (Big Stone Gap, VA) $241,775
• Vermont Department of Labor (Montpelier, VT) $117,633
• Northcentral Technical College District (Wausau, WI) $361,650
• West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety & Training (Charleston, WV) $530,429
• Gillette Community College District (Gillette, WY) $306,445

The annual funding represents one of MSHA’s largest safety training investments, underscoring the agency’s push to strengthen workforce protections and reduce risks across the nation’s mining operations.