Mining in the NIOSH headquarters office was created. Under NIOSH, the Pittsburgh and Spokane Research "Centers" were renamed the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory and Spokane Research Laboratory. Both labs currently reside under NIOSH's Office of Mine Safety and Health Research. Proposed re-establishment On May 28, 2010, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) released a list of proposed changes to mine safety laws including re-establishing the Bureau of Mines. Directors The Bureau had 19 permanent directors from its inception in 1910 to its abolishment in 1996. List of accomplishments Since its founding, the numerous accomplishments of the Bureau of Mines have included the identification and development of many new processes, including: Technologies that contributed to reduction of fatalities in mine disasters by 97 percent, from 3,000 in 1907 to 98 in 1993. Self-rescue equipment to allow miners to continue to breathe when caught in underground disasters. Low-cost methods to extract radium for cancer treatment. Production processes for titanium, which is critical for aerospace and automobile manufacturing, and zirconium, which is essential to nuclear naval vessels. Techniques to recover strategic and critical minerals, such as cobalt and chromium, to reduce U.S. vulnerability to import blockages in international crises, especially during the Cold War. Construction of manmade wetlands to limit pollution of waterways by acid mine drainage from nearby mining and mineral-processing operations. Methods to minimize damage from subsidence, the sinking of the surface of the earth above underground mines. Improved recycling of metals, plastic and paper from municipal wastes, including a technology, now used around the world, to recycle municipal solid waste. Non-intrusive ways to recover minerals without disturbing the surface of the land. Use of bacteria to remove arsenic and cyanide from waste waters on public and private lands. Uncovering the world's largest deposits of lead and zinc at Alaska's Red Dog Creek, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investments for mine development. Karrick process (See Synthetic Liquid Fuels Program) See also Critical mineral raw materials Mining in the United States References External links NIOSH's Office of Mining and Construction Safety and Health Research Minerals Yearbook full text (University of Wisconsin Digital Collections) Historic technical reports from the Bureau of Mines at the Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL) Mines Mining law and governance Government agencies established in 1910 Defunct agencies of the United States government 1995 disestablishments in the United States Government agencies disestablished in 1995 1910 establishments in