KY lawmakers weaken coal safety rule over protests from woman whose husband died in mine
Minutes after a widow emotionally testified about losing her 29-year-old husband in a deadly 2005 coal mine accident in Harlan County because the first aid available in the mine was inadequate to stop his bleeding, Kentucky lawmakers on Thursday voted to weaken the law passed to prevent such tragedies in the future.
The Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee voted 7-to-4 to approve House Bill 196 and send it to the Senate floor for further action.
Republican senators supporting the bill said small coal mines need the financial relief of keeping fewer mine emergency technicians on site to provide first aid in case a miner is injured or sickened.
“There’s been a war on Kentucky coal for at least four years, at least the last four years, and we have to do everything we can within our power, within reason, to restore coal to the state of Kentucky,” said state Sen. Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro.
A mine emergency technician is a miner who is trained and certified to provide basic medical care. State law requires at least two of the miners working on every shift to be trained as mine emergency technicians.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, would ease safety requirements for coal companies employing 10 or fewer miners during a shift. In those instances, only one mine emergency technician would have to be present. Two or more mine emergency technicians would be required for shifts with more miners.
With a few exceptions, most remaining coal mining in Kentucky consists of small mines, said the committee’s chairman, state Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville. Requiring these mines to have two specially trained miners on every shift can be a deal-breaker, Wheeler said.
“Sometimes finding sufficient numbers of emergency medical techs is difficult,” Wheeler said. “If one calls in sick or doesn’t show up, they can’t operate that day.”
However, testifying remotely, Stella Morris reminded the Senate committee about the violent death of her husband, coal miner David “Bud” Morris, on Dec. 30, 2005.
Bud Morris was struck from behind by a loaded coal hauler. There was only one mine emergency technician in the mine, and that man failed to provide adequate medical care to assess Morris’ injuries, elevate his extremities or stop his fatal bleeding, according to a subsequent federal investigation.
Kentucky added the requirement for two emergency mine technicians in 2007, in part as a response to Morris’ death.
Lawmakers started regular attempts to weaken the safety law almost immediately.
Having a second mine emergency technician on duty could have made all the difference for her husband, Stella Morris told the senators.
“I just ask for your all’s support in opposing this bill, to keep our medics on duty, two medics per mines,” Morris said.
“Because for the last 19 years, I’ve had to deal with the fact of knowing had there been another medic on duty that day, we may still have Bud here,” Morris said. “My son wouldn’t have had to grow up without his father.”
The 40 hours of training required for mine emergency technicians is free and provided by the state, testified Courtney Rhoades, black lung organizer for the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, which opposes the bill.
Two Republicans on the committee who said they usually support the coal industry, Scott Madon of Pineville and Matt Nunn of Sadieville, voted against the bill, citing their sympathy for Morris and concerns she raised for miners’ safety.
The only two Democrats, Reginald Thomas of Lexington and David Yates of Louisville, also voted against the bill.
“This is really unnecessary. And I think human life always trumps human profit,” Thomas said.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
