U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM)
The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) was established in 1910 as part of the Department of the Interior in response to a series of coal mining disasters that highlighted unsafe working conditions and lack of government oversight. Its initial mission focused on mine safety, improving working conditions, and training miners in the safe use of electricity and explosives. The Bureau faced significant challenges, including opposition from mine owners, which limited its ability to enforce safety regulations across various mining sectors. Over the years, its authority expanded, particularly after notable tragedies, leading to more rigorous oversight and inspections, particularly following the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969.
Despite these advancements, the Bureau transitioned away from direct safety oversight in the 1970s and 1980s, shifting its focus primarily to mineral research and technology development aimed at resource conservation and environmental protection. The USBM played a vital role in advancing recycling technologies and conducting research on mining practices that minimized land disruption. However, due to budgetary constraints and changing governmental priorities, the USBM was ultimately abolished in 1996, with its functions redistributed to other federal agencies. The legacy of the Bureau continues through ongoing research and publishing efforts that aim to address the nation's resource needs.
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U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM)
- DATE: Established 1910; abolished February 1996
The US Bureau of Mines focused on mine safety, mining efficiency, and minerals and materials research.
Background
In December 1907, explosions killed more than eight hundred coal miners in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Alabama. Before these events, between 1890 and 1906, many thousands of coal miners had been killed in the United States. The tremendous loss of life was caused by unsafe working conditions and a lack of inspection by any governmental authority. States refused to interfere in mining operations run by large corporations. Finally, as a result of a huge outpouring of public concern following the disastrous events of 1907, the US Congress gave the technological branch of the US Geological Survey authority to investigate the causes of mine explosions. In 1910, this branch became the Bureau of Mines in the Department of the Interior. Its responsibilities included mine safety, improvement of working conditions, and training in the proper use of electricity and explosives.
Because of opposition from mine owners, however, the bureau was unable to study conditions outside the coal industry, and metal mines in Western states remained extremely dangerous. Congress responded to industry pressure by reducing the bureau’s budget and restricting its authority to conduct inspections.
Impact on Resource Use
In 1913, Congress extended the agency’s powers but insisted that it spend as much effort on reducing waste and inefficiency in mining as it did on worker safety. Mine safety inspections did not become a responsibility of the bureau until 1941. Inspectors could search mines looking for health and safety violations but could do little more than publish inspection reports.
In 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill creating the Federal Mine Safety Board of Review. This agency could send inspectors into mines once a year unless the mine owners had submitted an approved safety program. If unsafe practices were discovered or unsafe areas of mines were being worked, the board could order an immediate shutdown of the unsafe area. Fines and other penalties could also be assessed, subject to review by a federal judge. The next major change in mine safety enforcement came after a huge explosion killed seventy-eight miners near Farmington, West Virginia, in November 1968. After this disaster even the coal industry pushed for tougher regulations, inspections, and enforcement. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 gave the federal government more power than it had ever had regarding mine safety. It covered almost every coal mine in the United States and authorized more rigorous and frequent inspections, along with heavy fines and penalties for violators. Coal mines were required to reduce the amount of dust in the air; to prohibit smoking; and to take action to reduce black lung disease, or pneumoconiosis, a deadly disease contracted by many miners. Enforcement of these provisions went to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, however, not the Bureau of Mines.
The bureau saw a constant reduction of its responsibilities in the area of safety in the 1970s and 1980s. Instead, it became the primary agency for research. This had become the primary job of the agency by the 1990s, with major emphasis placed on the availability of basic resources and restoration of abandoned mines and mining properties. Bureau of Mines scientists worked with industry in developing mining technology that could leave the surface of the land virtually untouched. They also did valuable work in the areas of materials research, conservation, and extraction and separation, with the long-term goal of addressing US materials supply in the twenty-first century. The bureau was a leader in developing recycling technology. The Bureau of Mines also regularly published a number of informative works on mining and minerals, including annual reports such as the Minerals Yearbook.
In the fall of 1995, a conference committee in the US Congress recommended abolishing the Bureau of Mines and transferring some of its functions to other agencies; the bureau was closed in 1996. Its health and safety research and materials research programs were transferred to the Department of Energy, the land and mineral resources program went to the Bureau of Land Management, and the minerals information section went to the US Geological Survey, which continued the Bureau of Mines’ publishing activities.
Bibliography
Gleason, William. "The US Needs the Bureau of Mines." Mining Engineering Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023, me.smenet.org/webContent.cfm?webarticleid=4560. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
"National Minerals Information Center." US Geological Society, 2024, www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/publications. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
"Records of the US Bureau of Mines." National Archives,