The Time Coal Miners Decided They Didn't Want To Die Of Black Lung, Come To Think Of It! wonkette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wonkette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Miners and their advocates have long demanded stricter standards on exposure to silica, a leading cause of an epidemic of black lung. They’re still waiting.
Gary Hairston worked as an electrician in an underground coal mine for almost 30 years. It was hard, often grimy work. When a big machine called a continuous miner dug into the hard earth, it kicked up all kinds of dust. Slowly, Hairston began to notice that daily tasks wiped him out.
Washington, D.C. â On the brink of its expiration date, Congress has chosen to add a one-year extension to the Black Lung Excise Tax, which funds the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, to its 2021 Omnibus spending bill. This is the second year that a one-year extension has been included in the spending bill.
Legislation to extend the excise tax for ten years rather than tacking on one-year extensions have languished in Congress. These include House Resolution 3876 and Senate Bill 3172.
Though it only covers one year, the extension is a great relief to Black Lung Associations and other advocates, who have met with representatives and senators and written petitions for another one-year extension in the absence of a ten-year renewal.