skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal inquiry traces payments from Gaetz to women; a new Florida-Puerto Rico partnership poised to transform higher-ed landscape; MT joins Tribes to target Canadian mining pollution; Heart health plummets in rural SD and nationwide; CO working families would pay more under Trump tax proposals.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transgender rights in Congress, a historic win for Utah's youngest elected official, scrutiny of Democratic Party leadership, and the economic impact of Trump's tax proposals highlight America's shifting political and social landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Stalled Bill Leaves Coal Miners Uncertain on Future of Black Lung Benefits

play audio
Play

Monday, March 7, 2022   

Thousands of coal miners and their families are uncertain about the future of the federal Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.

At the end of last year, the fund's revenue source, an excise tax on domestically produced and sold coal, was slashed by more than half, and experts say the fund is on track to run out of money. Democratic lawmakers have proposed legislation to extend the excise tax at its original rate through 2031.

Arvin Hanshaw, president of the Nicholas County Black Lung Association, said the monthly stipend helps cover miners' hefty medical bills and living expenses.

"Without your oxygen, your inhalers and stuff that you need, they're not going to be able to afford it," Hanshaw explained. "And the communities, they'll suffer too."

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the trust fund has borrowed from the Treasury's general fund almost every year since 1979. In addition to facing massive financial challenges, the GAO reported in 2020 the Department of Labor's lackluster oversight of local mine-operator insurance further put the fund's future in peril.

Hanshaw added he is worried about currently employed miners who are exposed daily to coal and silica dust and may develop black lung disease later in life.

"For the ones that's in the coal mines now, they're going to come in contact with black lung, it's going to be an ongoing thing," Hanshaw asserted.

He added miners forgo their health in order to do their jobs.

"We just want what was promised, so we won't have to worry about our livelihood," Hanshaw emphasized.

One in 10 underground coal miners with at least a 25-year history in mines will develop black lung, according to a 2018 report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The study looked at X-ray data collected from the medical records of miners between 1970 and 2017.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Since its founding, the CCA program has generated more than $2 billion for transportation and infrastructure upgrades, clean air and water initiatives, utility bill rebates, community solar, indoor air quality improvements and more. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

On Election Day, a broad coalition of conservationists, labor, and others helped defeat a ballot initiative to repeal Washington State's Climate …


Social Issues

play sound

In the wake of Donald Trump's re-election, teachers nationwide are bracing for more censorship battles. Currently, more than 40 laws in 22 states …

Social Issues

play sound

A new annual report shows New York City has more than 146,000 homeless students. The Advocates for Children of New York report finds this is an …


More than 3,000 Maine apprentices were actively working on industry-recognized skill certification in 2022, according to the Maine Department of Labor. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

State officials in Maine said they are working to expand the number of registered apprenticeship programs to help counter a persistent worker shortage…

Social Issues

play sound

School boards are nonpartisan, but a recent trend in Wyoming shows far-right candidates are bringing national politics to local elections. Public …

In 2020, roughly 9.9% of all U-S adults over age 20 were, or 28.6 million people, were affected by cardiovascular disease, according to a review article from the American Heart Association. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

It is National Rural Health Day and experts are flagging research showing increasing health disparities between urban and rural places, including in …

Social Issues

play sound

President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have promised to pass a new tax bill, and a new report breaks down the expected winners and …

Social Issues

play sound

Recent surveys show a majority of North Dakotans want housing that allows them to live independently as they age. But there aren't a lot of suitable …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021