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 III
TAGS: Alpha Natural Resources Black Lung Black Lung Benefits Act Black Lung Disability Trust Fund black lung excise tax Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act U.S. Department of Labor
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.
TAGS: Alpha Natural Resources Black Lung Black Lung Benefits Act Black Lung Disability Trust Fund black lung excise tax Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act U.S. Department of Labor
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.
TAGS: Alpha Natural Resources Black Lung Black Lung Benefits Act Black Lung Disability Trust Fund black lung excise tax Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act U.S. Department of Labor
Senators from Appalachian states request a federal study of whether black lung benefits are adequate
A study by the Government Accountability Office looking at the adequacy of current black lung benefits for miners and their families requested by U.S. senators should bolster ongoing efforts to improve those benefits.
TAGS: Black Lung Black Lung Benefits Act Government Accountability Office National Black Lung Association
