Recent article from @justinhicks.lpm.org and @hberkes.bsky.social: www.npr.org/2026/08/05/n... "The last time the rate of disease was that high for miners with the same work history was 1978. In 2018, when NIOSH last reported rates of the disease, the rate was 20.6%."

Appalachia's black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners' protections stall

Rates are now as bad as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick and dying. Mining experts blame toxic silica dust, now more common in mines.

npr.org

Join Rebuild by Design with regional partners Kristin Stroup (North Carolina), Brendan Muckian-Bates (Kentucky), and Carrie Decker (West Virginia) for Responding While Recovering — Storm Recovery Futures Amid Ongoing Disaster. Virtual Webinar Register: bit.ly/4vUB1jF

8/4 Event: Communities across Appalachia are preparing for future disasters, while still recovering from the last one. . Join Rebuild by Design with regional partners Kristin Stroup (North Carolina), Brendan Muckian-Bates (Kentucky), and Carrie Decker (West Virginia) for Responding While Recovering

Check out the latest edition of the Black Lung Bulletin:

Black Lung Bulletin Vol. 4 Issue 1 - Appalachian Citizens' Law Center

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. T...

aclc.org

The terrible reality is that black lung isn’t going away – in fact, it’s getting worse, and West Virginia is shouldering much of the burden. Our state has the second highest number of people drawing black lung benefits – and there’s likely many more who need them and many more who will in the future

Judy Rife: Where is WV's congressional delegation on black lung? (Opinion)

Miners with black lung face one challenge after another.

wvgazettemail.com

Join us in two weeks for our next First Tuesday Conversation about how communities can push local governments to address data center proposals, what data centers could mean for Kentucky Power customers, and to address your concerns for our communities. Grab dinner with us on August 4th.

"PSC Chair Angie Hatton said the PSC had already created an internal workgroup to study affordability...“It is likely the workgroup will result in opening a formal case so that we can get stakeholder input,” Hatton said."

"Right now, too many miners are out of work, sick, and stuck having to choose between paying their bills and paying for food or housing." -- words from Judy Riffe of WV, published in today's WV Gazette: www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_e...

Judy Rife: Where is WV's congressional delegation on black lung? (Opinion)

Miners with black lung face one challenge after another.

wvgazettemail.com

Dozens of county and city governments across Appalachia have passed resolutions urging an increase in black lung benefits. @RepSummerLee @RepMcGarvey @RepDeluzio have introduced legislation to do just that. When will the rest of Congress join them? kentuckylantern.com/2026/07/13/l...

Local leaders support boosting black lung benefits. That consensus hasn’t emerged in Congress. • Kentucky Lantern

The bipartisan consensus seen among local leaders in Kentucky to boost black lung disability benefits hasn’t materialized in Congress.

kentuckylantern.com

Our hearts go out to those in Floyd County, KY who experienced flooding yesterday. Leadership there knows how to address this, but solutions have been delayed by slow federal funding processes. www.wymt.com/2026/07/13/f...

Floodwaters pour through Prestonsburg community, revealing fast-failing infrastructure

Sinkholes, washed-out drains, flooded homes, and other damage were reported through the night and into Monday morning.

wymt.com

In case you missed it, last week @repsummerlee.bsky.social introduced a bill to increase black lung disability benefits, the Support Our Miners Act (HR 9556). The bill is cosponsored by only one Kentucky representative. Call your representative and ask them to cosponsor the bill today.

The floods that hit 26 counties last week show why Kentucky cannot treat these disasters as isolated, infrequent incidents. Flooding is the Commonwealth's most frequent and costly natural disaster, and communities all across the state need more support now to prepare before the next disaster strikes

This week were grateful for leadership from @repsummerlee.bsky.social @deluzio.house.gov and @repmcgarvey.bsky.social for introducing a bill to increase black lung benefits for miners.

Bill introduced in Congress to increase black lung benefit stipends for coal miners in WV, beyond • West Virginia Watch

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill this week that would increase black lung disability payments for coal miners.

westvirginiawatch.com

Today we're celebrating new legislation! The value of black lung benefits has declined by over 30% because they have not been adjusted for inflation. @RepSummerLee’s Support Our Miners Act fixes this. Coal communities have waited 5 decades. It's overdue. www.wesanews.org/politics-gov...

Pa. Rep. Lee introduces bill to boost black lung disease payments

Miners debilitated by the disease receive a small cash benefit and health insurance to cover associated costs, but the monthly payments haven't kept up with inflation.

wesanews.org

Rep. Summer Lee@repsummerlee.bsky.social · last mo.

For decades, federal black lung benefits have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living. I'm introducing the Support Our Miners Act to restore the value of these benefits and ensure coal miners and their families receive the support they've earned.

Mike Tony writes about the ten year anniversary of devastating floods in West Virginia and the policy changes to FEMA under the Trump Administration that are reducing disaster response and recovery resources to communities in need www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_...

New reports: WV at higher devastation risk under Trump decade after 2016 flood

Tuesday marks 10 years since floodwaters devastated West Virginia, leaving 23 dead and displacing more than 2,000 people. A decade later, new reports present mounting evidence that West Virginia is mo...

wvgazettemail.com

Good news! Congress just passed major legislation to reform housing policy. Included in the bill is one of the policy priorities of the Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition -- legislation to permanently authorize the CDBG-DR program. Learn more here: www.appfloodpolicy.org/news/major-d...

Press Release: Major Disaster Relief Priority for Appalachia Passes Congress as Part of Housing Bill — Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition

Press Release - A priority of the Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition (AFRC) passed the U.S. House [358-32] as part of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, as vital Community Development Block Gr...

appfloodpolicy.org

The Trump Administration has cancelled a DOJ investigation of Senator Justice's Coal Companies for repeated environmental violations. Justice's attorney admits what advocates have been talking about for decades -- that violating the law is common throughout the industry.

Trump Administration Killed Criminal Investigation of GOP Senator’s Coal Companies

EPA and Justice Department officials were looking into potential criminal violations by the vast coal empire owned by Sen. Jim Justice. Then the Office of the Deputy Attorney General told them “pencil...

propublica.org

"The bill never comes due for the industry, but it does for their miners." - Wes Addington in a new @aljazeera.com documentary. #Blacklung is preventable. We will continue to advocate for the enforcement of the federal silica dust rule. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=23SA...

Inside America's black lung crisis | Fault Lines Documentary

YouTube video by Al Jazeera English

youtube.com

“This isn’t working. Our rates are going up, fewer people are able to pay; this is not a sustainable spiral for the system.” Read more at: www.kentucky.com/news/state/k...

KY water utilities penalize ratepayers with disconnections, late fees, report finds

Analysis of 114 Kentucky utilities shows most charge reconnection or late fees, and nearly two-thirds of shutoffs were for $50 or less.

kentucky.com

NEW REPORT: Today ACLC published a report on drinking water disconnections across Kentucky. We found that tens of thousands of families are disconnected from drinking water each year. Learn more through this piece in the Kentucky Lantern: kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/29/s...

Some Kentucky drinking water utilities have ‘punitive’ disconnection policies, report finds • Kentucky Lantern

Drinking water utilities in Kentucky disconnected ratepayers who owed less than $50 among other “unreasonably punitive” practices by utilities.

kentuckylantern.com

This year, Kentucky will receive $69.5 million in federal funding to clean up abandoned coal mines. ACLC was proud to advocate alongside partners for the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which secured $11.3 billion over 15 years for AML and recovery projects nationwide.

Grateful to @deluzio.house.gov, @repsummerlee.bsky.social, @beyer.house.gov for introducing federal legislation to help ensure expedient and complete mine reclamation. Over the last few years, our work at ACLC has repeatedly uncovered that coal companies are delaying reclamation.

The Trump Administration fired a Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commissioner earlier this month and terminated several commission staff, further undermining institutions that are critical to protecting miner health and safety www.themountaineagle.com/articles/fir...

ACLC’s Deputy Director, Mary Cromer, was able to attend River Rally 2026 and learn from friends old and new. Mary is pictured here with Flow Fund funders and recipients after a great conversation about the importance of brave philanthropy. Learn more at: www.rivernetwork.org/connect-lear...

“I want them to be accountable for the health and safety of our coal miners. Somebody has got to listen.” dataviz.whro.org/black-lung/i...

Living for Coal, Dying for Breath

As coal production in Southwest Virginia wins White House support, miner protections stall under the Trump Administration.

dataviz.whro.org

What a day! We've not only exceeded our goal for KY Gives Day, but we've had the best one yet. All of us here at ACLC want to thank those of you who donated, shared, or even just talked about our work today. We are immensely grateful for your support today, and every day!

May 14 at 1 PM ET via Zoom - ReImagine will do an overview/release of our new report that maps the legal, administrative, and legislative activities that transformed FEMA in the last year. Register @ loom.ly/crct7y8 #Appalachia #FEMA

Today is the day! We are already seeing some tremendous support from our generous friends. We want to thank those of you who have already contributed to our KY Gives Day fundraiser; and if you haven't yet, there's still time! Donate here: kygives.org/organization...

EXCLUSIVE: 1 in 5 coal mines sampled in the U.S. in 2025 exceeded dangerous silica dust levels, putting miners at risk of black lung while the Trump Administration indefinitely delays life-saving rules. READ MORE from @kentucky.com: www.kentucky.com/news/state/a...

As black lung surged, federal delays risked toxic dust buildup in Appalachia

Nearly one in five coal companies would have been out of compliance with rules that are being held up by federal regulators and lawsuits.

kentucky.com

We could not do our work without the support of our community, so we hope you'll consider supporting ACLC tomorrow, whether it's sharing our giving page or donating. You can donate anytime up until midnight tomorrow night to be eligible for KY Gives Day prizes.