Miners with black lung disease face a difficult process to obtain modest benefits, as do their widows. Two bills in Congress aim to help miners with the disease and their bereaved families, including by tying benefit levels to inflation.
Blog Archives
Bills Aim to Help Miners with Black Lung and Surviving Family Access Benefits
TAGS: Black Lung Black Lung Benefits black lung disease Coal mining legislation miners widows' benefits
Fighting for Black Lung Benefits for Miners and Families
Kathryn South’s husband, Mike South, was diagnosed with black lung disease at age 35. As they grappled with his disease, the couple also navigated the arduous legal process to obtain federal black lung benefits, a fight that Kathryn continued even after Mike’s passing.
Congress considers bills to address coal mining impacts at June hearing
During a recent U.S. House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, Erin Savage of Appalachian Voices and two other Appalachian residents testified about acid mine drainage, abandoned mine sites and the impacts of ongoing mountaintop removal coal mining.
TAGS: 117th Congress Acid Mine Drainage Coal Coal mining House Natural Resources mine reclamation mountaintop removal coal mining Mountaintop removal health impacts RENEW Act
Gov. Jim Justice’s Straight Fork Surface Mine again facing possible permit revocation
Updated Jan. 20, 2022: On Jan. 13, Virginia Energy sent a letter to A&G Coal Corporation suspending the permit for the Straight Fork Surface Mine after the corporation failed to respond to the Dec. 8, 2021 show cause order. The permit suspension gives the Justice company until Feb. 14 to deal with the ongoing violations. Failure to do so will then trigger permit revocation and a determination of bond forfeiture.
Community advocates celebrate Senate passage of historic bill on reclaiming coal lands
CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, Legislative Director, chelsea@appvoices.org, 276-207-9636 Trey Pollard, trey@pollardcommunications.com, 202-904-9187 Largest-ever investment in clean-up means billions in economic activity and thousands of jobs in Appalachia and other coal communities Following the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Infrastructure Investment and…
New Tennessee law is a giveaway for coal companies
A new Tennessee law that changes the way surface mining is regulated in the state will force Tennessee taxpayers to prop up the industry and make it easier for coal operators to walk away from mine reclamation.
TAGS: Coal Coal mining mine reclamation Office of Suface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement primacy self-bonding Tennessee
Despite Decline of Coal, Mining Remains Aggressive on Coal River Mountain
Despite a national coal downturn, mining has not slowed much in Raleigh County, West Virginia, where companies have proposed two new mountaintop removal coal mines.
TAGS: blasting Coal mining Coal River Mountain Watch end mountaintop removal mine reclamation mountaintop removal coal mining surface coal mine West Virginia
Community groups challenge Trump Administration’s rule for coal mining violations
CONTACT: Aimee Erickson, Citizens Coal Council, Executive Director, aimee@citizenscoalcouncil.org Thomas Young, Sierra Club, thomas.young@sierraclub.org Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices, erin@appvoices.org Washington, DC — A coalition of environmental and community groups today brought a challenge to a Trump Administration rule designed to…
A way forward for Appalachia
Our legislative director outlines a list of action items for the Biden administration — suspending utility shutoffs during the pandemic, strengthening oversight of the fossil fuel industry, and moving swiftly to support just economic transition in coal-impacted communities.
TAGS: aml biden Black Lung Coal mining FERC grijalva haaland just transition OSMRE pipelines RECLAIM Act shutoffs white house
Virginia regulators poised to grant mining permits to questionable company
As companies go bankrupt, they tend to pass off their mine mining permits — and the responsibility to reclaim them — to increasingly questionable entities. This is currently unfolding in Southwest Virginia, if the state mining agency allows it.
TAGS: Coal coal bankruptcy Coal mining environmental violations mine reclamation mining regulations OSMRE Virginia
