Clean Energy

Black lung disease diagnoses have been on the rise for two decades, affecting thousands of coal mining families across the country. The disease is incurable and progressive, meaning that it gets worse over time. One reason that it has been increasing, particularly in Appalachia where 20% of tenured miners have some form of the disease, is due to increased silica or rock dust within coal seams. Silica dust is more toxic than coal dust. With cases on the rise, it is more important than ever to preserve and improve the black lung benefits system. 
Families across the country rely on these disability benefits to replace lost wages when they can no longer work and assure that they have access to health insurance that pays for the cost of care for their disease. Using data from the Department of Labor, we’ve created a map that hints at the scale of the black lung crisis.
What’s the Black Lung Program? 
Congress created the Black Lung Program to provide necessary monetary and medical benefits to coal miners who suffer from the disease. These benefits are either paid for by a coal company or the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, which steps in when the coal company responsible has gone bankrupt or no longer exists. It’s usually a difficult process to apply for the benefits, and coal companies typically fight tooth and nail in court to deflect responsibility for paying coal miners what they’re owed. 
The black lung program pays a monthly disability payment, or stipend, to coal miners that increases depending on the number of dependents in the household. In 2024, the monthly payment was $772.60 for just the miner, but it increases to $1,158.90 if there is one dependent. Unfortunately, the monthly disability payment hasn’t kept up with inflation since it was…

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