Coal miners are legally allowed to be exposed to twice as much dangerous silica dust as any other worker. That needs to change.
Blog Archives
Tighter silica rules needed to protect miners from black lung disease
TAGS: black lung association Black Lung Disability Trust Fund black lung disease coal dust Mine Safety and Health Administration MSHA silica dust
Congress includes one-year extension of black lung excise tax in omnibus spending bill
A one-year extension of the excise tax that funds the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund is included in the 2021 omnibus spending bill. This is the second year in a row that a one-year extension has been included in the…
TAGS: 116th Congress Biden administration black lung association Black Lung Disability Trust Fund black lung disease coal miners
Coal miners call on Congress for support amidst dual threats from black lung and COVID-19
The coal industry is trying to exploit the coronavirus pandemic for a tax break at the expense of healthcare and disability benefits for miners with black lung, but miners are pushing back.
Black lung service providers shift in the face of COVID-19
As coal miners with black lung disease have a heightened risk of complications from coronavirus, black lung healthcare providers work to respond to the global pandemic.
Federal negligence allowed coal companies to shrug off their responsibility for black lung benefits
For decades, coal companies ignored a federal requirement to provide enough funds for black lung benefits — and the government let them.
TAGS: Black Lung black lung association black lung disease Coal self-bonding U.S. Department of Labor
Black Lung Healthcare Legislation Sees Progress
Congress temporarily reinstated a tax on coal companies that funds black lung benefits for miners and their families in December. Advocates continue to push for further protections for coal workers.
The Black Lung Association Responds to the Deadly Disease’s Rise
The Black Lung Association has a storied history of fighting for miners’ rights to occupational healthcare. Today, that fight continues as rates of the disease continue to climb.
Blackjewel’s black lung problem
Bankrupt coal company Blackjewel owes nearly $10 million in taxes to the fund that provides benefits to miners with black lung disease whose employer has gone bankrupt.
TAGS: bankruptcy Black Lung black lung association Black Lung Disability Trust Fund black lung disease blackjewel
