Coal and Comedians

I am very glad that a group of payments totaling more than $233.4 million are being delivered to more than 1,000 firefighters, police and emergency personnel who responded to the 9/11 attack and subsequently fell ill from the poisons they encountered at the site.

I am not happy about how that came about.  I am also not happy about the fact that more than 25,000 coal miners who are suffering from black lung are financially exposed to a fund, the Black Lung Disability Fund, which is over 4 billion dollars in debt.

The list of noxious chemicals and dusts that the first responders were exposed to it truly amazing.  It is referred to, among other things, as being a ‘toxic stew’ and ‘a thick cloud of toxic dust’.  The atmosphere at that location and the surrounding area contained particulates of jet fuel (which is primarily kerosene and contains anti-static chemicals, de-icing agents, anticorrosive agents and anti-bacterial agents), cement dust, asbestos, dioxin, gypsum, calcite, polychlorinated biphenyls, glass, heavy metals, aluminum silicates, magnesium silicates and carbon nanotubes.

Coal miners are exposed to crystalline silica dust, asbestos, diesel exhaust (which contains benzene, arsenic and formaldehyde among other chemicals), lead, mercury, uranium, thorium and others.

Jon Stewart was a late night comedy, talk-show host.  He took up the mantle for the 9/11 First Responders and worked to shame the leadership in the Congress that were supposed to be responsible for funding the 9/11 First Responder Fund.  He was successful. 

Senator McConnell of Kentucky was painted as the point man in the slow response to ensuring that the fund was operational.  It is not surprising that he dragged his feet.  He represents a state with a large number of coal miners.  His constituency is packed with coal miners.  They have been attempting to hold his feet to the fire about funding the Black Lung Disability Fund and ensuring mine safety but they haven’t been too successful.  The fund has been stumbling since the days of President George Bush the Second. 

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund had been set to clear the Congress and, if it weren’t for Senator Rand Paul insisting that an amendment be added to the bill introduced by Senator Gillibrand of New York it probably wouldn’t have hit the national news.

As it happened – he did and it did.

So now we all know about the financing of the funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

The financing for the Black Lung Disability Fund is still not clear.

An interesting point to make about the Black Lung Disability Fund and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund financing confusion is that not only is Senator McConnell from the major coal State of Kentucky but so is Senator Paul Rand.

Here is the information for the Black Lung Bill – it is apparently still in Committee as, though it has several Senatorial sponsors, no comedians have stepped forward to help.

Introduced Session:116th Congress

Bill Summary:American Miners Act of 2019 This bill transfers certain funds to provide pension and health benefits for retired coal miners who have been affected by issues such as coal company bankruptcies. The Department of the Treasury must transfer additional funds to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the annual limit on transfers under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 exceeds the amount required to be transferred for existing obligations of the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund. The bill also increases the annual limit on transfers from $490 million to $750 million. The bill also adds miners affected by 2018 coal company bankruptcies to the group whose retiree health benefits are taken into account in determining the amount that Treasury must transfer under current law to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan. Additionally, the bill (1) allows in-service distributions under a pension plan or governmental section 457(b) plan at age 59-1/2 (currently age 62); and (2) extends and increases the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund excise tax.

Bill Subjects:Bankruptcy, Cardiovascular and respiratory health, Coal, Corporate finance and management, Employee benefits and pensions, Government information and archives, Government trust funds, Health care costs and insurance, Labor-management relations, Mining, Sales and excise taxes, Worker safety and health

Sponsors (14):

Joe Manchin III (D)*, Dick Blumenthal (D), Sherrod Brown (D), Bob Casey (D), Dick Durbin (D), Kirsten Gillibrand (D), Kamala Harris (D), Doug Jones (D), Tim Kaine (D), Ed Markey (D), Bernie Sanders (I), Chris Van Hollen Jr. (D), Mark Warner (D), Elizabeth Warren (D)

Last Action:Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.  (on 1/3/2019)

(3 Companion Bills)

Official Document:https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/27/all-info