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Advocates Urge Labor Department to Reject Rollback of Black Lung Self Insurance Protections
Amid concerns that coal operators could begin shedding black lung liabilities onto the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, new Department of Labor guidelines could increase the risks for self-insured disability benefits For Immediate ReleaseSeptember 29, 2026Contact: Brendan Muckian-Bates, brendan@aclc.org | 412-952-1341 Coal Country — Yesterday, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center (ACLC) and Appalachian Voices submitted comments opposing…
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Who Pays the Price? Cuts to Mine Safety and Health Programs Under the Trump Administration
Report authored by: Meredith Perkins, Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Rebecca Shelton, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, and Dana Kuhnline, ReImagine Appalachia | Released: September 2026 Black lung is rising among coal miners in Central Appalachia. This report tracks federal actions from January 2025 through August 2026 affecting mine safety, health programs,…
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Kentucky Public Service Commission Opens Investigation into Utility Affordability
Coalition of Kentucky advocacy organizations had asked the Commission to open the case FRANKFORT, Ky. — On August 26, 2026, the Kentucky Public Service Commission issued an order opening an investigation into the affordability of electric and natural gas utility service in the Commonwealth. The new proceeding, Case No. 2026-00185, will examine the drivers of rising utility…
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Another Summer, Another Flood
By Brendan Muckian-Bates On July 21st, a line of powerful thunderstorms began moving across West Virginia, bringing with them torrential rain and damaging winds. By that evening, three to five inches of rain had fallen around Buckhannon alone, overwhelming streams and drainage systems, setting the stage for yet another round of catastrophic flash flooding across…
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August 2026 News – Black lung rates climb Also: Miner legal victory & disaster recovery reform
Black Lung reaches nearly 50-year high NIOSH findings show why the silica rule can’t wait A new NIOSH study shows that black lung has reached its highest recorded rates in Central Appalachia in nearly 50 years, with nearly one in three long-tenured underground miners showing evidence of the disease. Silica dust is a major driver…
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Filling the Gaps: Assessing MSHA’s Silica Dust Sampling
Since 2009, coal miners and their allies have pushed the federal government to implement a silica dust standard to prevent exposure to the silica dust implicated in the causation of severe forms of coal worker pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease. In April 2024, a silica dust rule was finally issued, with the coal industry given…
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Black Lung Bulletin Vol. 4 Issue 1
Below is our most recent issue of the Black Lung Bulletin, a collaborative publication that incorporates stories and updates from miners and families affected by black lung and experts in the field. The publication is circulated to hundreds of households across the region.
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House members introduce bill to increase black lung disability compensation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 30, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, three U.S. representatives introduced the Support Our Miners Act, a bill that will increase the black lung disability payment that miners and their families receive. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., sponsored the bill with co-sponsors Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky. The Support Our Miners…
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Major Disaster Relief for Appalachia Passes Congress as Part of Housing Bill
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act includes Three-Year Authorization of Flexible Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Funds UPDATE: The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act was signed into law on July 11, 2026. APPALACHIA — A priority of the Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition (AFRC) passed the U.S. House [358-32] as part of the 21st…
