Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection; Delay of Effective Date of Conforming Amendments

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration 30 CFR Parts 56 and 57 [Docket No. MSHA-2023-0001] RIN 1219-AB36 AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Department of Labor. ACTION: Final rule; delay of effective date. SUMMARY: MSHA is issuing this notification following a judicial stay of the compliance deadlines established in the 2024 final rule titled “Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection” (2024 Silica Rule). The 2024 Silica Rule made conforming amendments for metal and nonmetal (MNM) standards that are scheduled to take effect on April 8, 2026. Since a judicial stay is in effect, this notification delays the conforming amendments indefinitely, pending judicial review. DATES: As of April 6, 2026, the effective date of amendments 4, 5, 8, 9, 13, 14, 17, and 18 published at 89 FR 28218 , April 18, 2024, is delayed indefinitely, pending judicial review. MSHA will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing further action once the court-ordered stay is terminated. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica D. Senk, Acting Director, Office of Standards, Regulations, and Variances, MSHA at 202-693-9440 (voice). This is not a toll-free number. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On April 18, 2024, MSHA published the 2024 Silica Rule, which amended MSHA's existing standards for respirable crystalline silica and respiratory protection. The 2024 Silica Rule established 30 CFR pa…