After the Biden administration released a new rule setting standards to limit exposure to silica dust, Appalachian advocates argued it is not enough to stem the region's black lung epidemic. The new rule shrinks in half the allowed exposure limit for crystalline silica during an eight-hour shift. Rebecca Shelton, director of policy for the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center, who represents miners in federal black lung disability claims, said while the rule is beneficial since silica dust exposure standards have not been updated in decades, miners are cutting through increasing amounts of rock to get to coal seams, breathing in more and more toxic dust. ...