HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -- Pennsylvania officials are asking the federal government to keep a research lab focused on mine safety open in the Keystone State.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging the federal government to keep the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's Pittsburgh Research Lab open.

DEP says the lab focuses on "critical mine safety research" that keeps more than 3,000 Pennsylvania miners and thousands more nationally safe.

“Pennsylvania has a long legacy of mining — stretching back hundreds of years — and we owe it to our mine workers, their families, and mining communities to ensure their safety and continue this critical resear

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