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PHOTO ESSAY: Coal Miners with Black Lung Fight Trump Administration Rollback of Safety Protections
Coal miners from central Appalachia protest delays in enforcing a silica dust rule linked to rising black lung disease, with legal challenges causing regulatory hold-ups.
- Last month, dozens of former miners from central Appalachia traveled to Washington to protest delays and rollbacks of a silica rule, demanding enforcement of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration's 2024 limit cut by half.
- Legal bids and administrative delays blocked the rule's implementation after industry groups suing the government halted the silica rule before it took effect, and the administration received an extension amid the government shutdown.
- Rising black lung rates in central Appalachia show workers in their 30s and 40s face increased risk as sick retired coal miners from central Appalachia recall generational mining hardships in West Virginia.
- The White House and Labor Department defended the policy, saying they can maintain miners' health while rolling back regulations, though some former coal miners who voted for Trump expressed anger and lost faith.
- Policy moves favoring industry expansion now coincide with President Donald Trump signing orders easing pollution limits and permitting for coal-fired plants and mineral production sectors, while miners and advocates in central Appalachia say Washington, D.C. prioritizes money over safety, deepening mistrust.
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Deep in Trump country, coal miners with black lung say government is suffocating the 'working man'
Lisa Emery, a respiratory therapist, is deeply concerned about West Virginia coal miners suffering from black lung disease.
·United States
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‘They ain’t worried about the miners or people in West Virginia or coal miners anywhere’: Black lung sufferers despair over DC’s distance
Lisa Emery loves to talk about her “boys.” With each word, the respiratory therapist’s face softens and shines with pride. But keep her talking, and it doesn’t take long for that passion to switch to hurt. She knows the names, ages, families and the intimate stories of each one’s scarred lungs.…
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Total News Sources63
Leaning Left18Leaning Right5Center29Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 34%
C 56%
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