March 4, 2026 - In 2010, the Upper Big Branch mine exploded.

An investigation following the disaster found that mines in southern West Virginia, including those in Wyoming, Boone, Cabell, Raleigh, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer and Wayne counties, lacked enough technical expertise to ensure they were safe. At the time, West Virginia had only one mine safety office. The Mine Safety and Health Administration opened a Mine Safety Office in Pineville shortly afterward to protect miners.

Now, the Trump administration is again seeking to close the Pineville office.

“That’s just barely about 15 years ago,” said Sam Petsonk, a lawyer who represents coal miners sickened after inhaling silica and coal dust on the job. “We are mining those same coal seams today and we have just as much need for the technical expertise in the field as we did prior to the Upper Big Branch mine disaster.”

Last year, the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency sought to close more than 30 mine safety offices around the country and Pineville was one of them.

William Boydrick, who represents the entity that owns the building that the mine safety office leases, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., fought to keep the office open. In May, the federal government reversed course, and the U.S. Department of Labor — whose umbrella mine safety sits under — announced it would not terminate its leases for the 30 offices. However, the DOL did not answer questions about its long-term plans for the offices.

Boydrick said the Department of Labor notified him March 26 that it would terminate its lease on the building. He said he was given no reason for the termination.

“We can’t get a call back from the Labor Department, and frankly, we can’t get a call back from Congressman Carol Miller’s office,” Boydrick said.

Boydrick said the building was constructed specifically to house the mine safety office. It serves as both a headquarters for MSHA employees and a public office where miners can seek assistance with safety complaints. The building is about 10 years old, and lease agreements for similar buildings can run up to 30 years. He said the typical arrangement is that a private party assumes the risk of financing construction while the government signs a long-term lease.

“It was a 10-year lease with several five-year options,” Boydrick said. “So, we’re just asking them to — normally they would take these options, and we’re saying, ‘hey, we’re not only willing to honor the option you have, but we’re willing to reduce the price.’ And the answer from the Trump administration is not to call us back.”

Capito’s office declined to comment, referring questions to the Department of Labor, which did not reply to an inquiry by press time. Rep. Carol Miller’s office said it was aware of the office’s impending closure in 2025.

“I was assured that no jobs at the Pineville location will be eliminated due to this office closure, but rather they will be reassigned to office locations in Beckley and Logan,” Miller said. “The decision to close the Pineville office location is part of an effort spanning multiple administrations to optimize the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s real estate footprint. I understand that relocation is never easy, and I encourage each affected employee to keep my office apprised of any issues that arise during this transition so my staff and I can share their concerns with the appropriate contacts.”

Boydrick said Pineville is a small town of 368 people, according to the most recent U.S. Census. The office employs 48 people, who now face a 30- to 45-minute drive to the next closest office in Beckley.

Petsonk said the purpose of placing a safety office in the middle of the southern coalfields was to ensure inspectors had immediate access to mines. The southern coalfields are among the most dangerous in the country because of the presence of methane and sandstone. Methane explodes, and sandstone creates lung-shredding silica dust. Engineers in these offices work to prevent methane explosions and ensure proper ventilation reduces exposure to silica.

The Pineville office is already about 45 minutes to an hour from the mines it serves, and moving its operations to Beckley would hamper MSHA’s ability to keep miners safe, Petsonk said.

Petsonk was blunt about who he believes is behind the effort to close the offices.

“The billionaires who received massive, historic tax cuts from the Trump administration, because closing these offices will help to fund Trump tax cuts,” Petsonk said. “That’s it. That’s who really benefits.”

Petsonk said the cost of the safety offices is a minuscule portion of the federal budget. But it is part of a broader effort to close public facilities to fund Trump tax cuts, he said. The average taxpayer will not see the benefit of those cuts, only the wealthy will.

Petsonk said keeping the offices open benefits coal companies as well.

“Even mining companies suffer when these MSHA offices close,” Petsonk said. “Because, mining companies benefit when their mines don’t explode.”