Labor Leaders Demand Coal Operators Pay Their Fair Share
WASHINGTON — Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and Workforce and Ranking Member Ilhan Omar (D-MN), House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, urged the Department of Labor (DOL) to enforce the Black Lung Self-Insurance Rule, which requires coal operators to contribute their fair share to the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (BLDTF).
Under federal law, coal mine operators are required to provide cash assistance and medical care for miners they employ who become disabled by black lung disease. But when the liable coal company goes bankrupt, closes, or is otherwise unable to pay, miners and their families receive benefits from the BLDTF. In 2024, the Biden Administration issued the Black Lung Self-Insurance Rule improved oversight of the program to hold bad actors accountable and protect taxpayers from bearing the cost that should be borne by coal operators.
The Members expressed concern that DOL may not be enforcing the new rule, potentially exposing the BLDTF to further financial risks.
“The possibility that DOL might now be failing to implement the Black Lung Self-Insurance Rule is mindboggling,” the Members wrote. “The risks to taxpayers and the integrity of the Trust Fund (which you, as a trustee, are obliged to protect) are too significant for these matters to remain in the shadows.”
The Members are asking for DOL to clarify whether it will enforce the Black Lung Self-Insurance Rule and to provide documents related to its implementation since January 2025.
Full text of the letter can be found here.
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