A bipartisan group of legislators sent a letter to President Trump this week asking for more money for black lung health clinics.
More than 20 clinics in the Ohio Valley Region would benefit from the three-point-three million dollar increase lawmakers are requesting. The clinics provide miners with health screenings, medical care and assistance in securing black lung benefits.
According to a study by The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health there’s been a surge of coal miners with severe cases of black lung in the Ohio Valley. An investigation by NPR found nearly one thousand cases of black lung in the past decade from eleven clinics. In the letter, legislators urge Trump to consider the increase in demand on black lung health clinics. The lawmakers say the level of funding has been frozen for the past five years. The requested increase would bring total funding to 10 million dollars.
The bipartisan group has not yet received a response to their request.
