The ruling will halve the amount of coal dust exposure allowed from 2milligrams per cubic metre to 1mg over the next two years.

Murray’s media team certainly did not hold back when conjuring the highly provocative statement of intent.

“Instead of protecting miners' health, this Rule clearly seeks to destroy the coal industry and the thousands of jobs that it provides, with absolutely no benefit to the health or safety of miners, whatsoever” it reads.

The statement also labelled the rule “irrational” and a “political concoction” whose scientific research was fundamentally flawed.

The statement read: “First, the 1.5mg per cubic metre dust standard, as mandated by the rule, is technologically and economically unachievable, even when utilising the most advanced mining technologies in the world.

“Additionally, existing technologies cannot reliably or accurately measure dust concentrations that low”

Murray Energy turned to Australia to help its case stating: “Australia, for example, has a dust standard of 2.5mg, 66% higher than the announced rule imposes, and has had no reported CWP cases over the past 20 years”

The company claimed the data relied on by the Obama administration was “woefully inadequate” and said “the government’s failure to require personal equipment clearly demonstrated that they did not take into account the best available technology to protect our coal miners”