Appalachia is a region with many rich assets, including our land, water, heritage and people who have mined coal that has fueled the United States for over a century. Yet one of the consequences of our mining history has been that generations of our families and communities have suffered from high rates of black lung disease, an incurable and fatal disease caused by exposure to coal and silica dust. Rates of black lung disease have sharply increased in recent years and new case data indicates that black lung disease is likely to get worse in the years to come.

As the region continues to extract coal, Appalachian lawmakers have a responsibility to ensure that coal miners are adequately protected from occupational health and safety hazards. Further, we must honor our commitment to these miners by ensuring that they and their families are taken care of when they can no longer work due to disability caused by black lung disease.