Trump’s Gift To Coal Miners: Less Coal Jobs, More Black Lung Disease

A new federal report finds black lung disease is surging among coal miners in Appalachia. Black lung, caused by inhaling fine coal and silica dust, was largely brought under control after safety rules in the 1970s cut cases to under 5% by 2000. But federal researchers now find rates in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia have climbed back to 32.5% among veteran miners, matching levels seen 50 years ago, with younger miners increasingly affected too. Cases of severe outcomes, including lung transplants and death, have also risen.

Part of the problem is a 2024 rule meant to limit miners' exposure to silica dust, which mining industry groups challenged in court. Federal regulators have since said they won't enforce it while litigation continues. Advocacy groups also point to staffing cuts at the agencies that inspect mines and track miner health: the Mine Safety and Health Administration lost about 200 employees, and the health research agency NIOSH lost nearly 900, including staff at offices that handle mine safety research and coal miner health monitoring.

None of this directly involves home energy upgrades, but it's a reminder of how coal mining and its human costs sit behind fossil-fuel power generation. Separately, coal jobs and coal exports have kept shrinking despite promises to revive the industry, with Virginia and Kentucky alone losing more than 1,600 coal jobs since last year.