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Gaming the system — Part III

In 2021, the Government Accountability Office found big problems with the Labor Department’s current rules because they do not require sufficient collateral to cover both current and future black lung liabilities.

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Gaming the system — Part II

Congress stated clearly that coal operators, instead of taxpayers, would shoulder the cost of black lung when it set up the Black Lung Trust Fund. The trust fund was intended to be a backstop for miners rather than a means for coal operators to underinsure their liabilities.

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Gaming the system — Part I

At its core, this is the age-old story of corporate greed whereby rapacious mine operators, who have subjected generations of miners to disabling and fatal black lung disease, managed to transfer their responsibility to pay black lung benefits to suffering coal miners from their corporate coffers to the taxpayer’s pockets.

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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.

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Trump administration backs down on closing job centers

The Trump administration opted not to close down nine job centers that serve rural areas, including four in Appalachia, after widespread public backlash.

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Energizing the Clean Economy

Political speeches, the nightly news and newspaper headlines are filled with reminders of the battered economy and the millions unemployed or underpaid. But as energy efficiency and renewable technologies advance, more domestic jobs are created that foster a sustainable economy,

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