@appcitizenslaw.bsky.social
Home of Appalachian Citizens' Law Center--Fighting for justice in the Appalachian coalfields.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialLast week we joined a group of BLA members and @appvoices.org in Washington, DC to urge lawmakers to increase benefits for miners with black lung. Read here about LPM's coverage of our visit.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialOur hope to intervene in the PSC audit of #KentuckyPower was to inform the scope of the audit based on our review of customer complaints. We found complaints around extended billing periods, property damage due to power surges or hazardous conditions, poor or inconsistent customer service and others
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialKentucky members of the Black Lung Association visited Washington, D.C. trip this week to inform congressional members of the growing rates of #blacklung in Central Appalachia and the needed enforcement of the 2024 Silica Rule to lower working miners exposure to #silica dust.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.social"This proposed rule is another taxpayer funded bailout of the coal industry. This administration has failed to protect working miners from black lung but they will protect coal operators from being financially accountable for the resurgence of this epidemic." Read more here: aclc.org/2026/09/29/a...
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialGary Hairston is featured in a new article by @kffhealthnews.org, “It seems like coal miners, we’re just a number,” he said. “Just a number.” This week #coalminers from Central Appalachia will travel to DC for improved black lung benefits and enforcement of the silica dust rule that remains delayed
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialRead more here: www.kentucky.gov/Pages/Activi...
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialThank you to @govandybeshear.bsky.social for urging support of the #SupportOurMinersAct. Kentucky #BlackLung Association members will be in DC next week to discuss these and other issues with their Congressional offices. We hope to see more leaders take action to show their support of coal miners.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialA new report out today from ACLC and ReImagine Appalachia that shows how, despite rates of black lung being higher than they've been in 50 years, the Trump administration has rolled back connections for coal miners. Follow the link to read the report.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialJoin us and @reimagineappal8ia.bsky.social tomorrow for the release of a new report tracking major milestones regarding #minesafety and health - via Zoom.
Register at the link below:
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialOur Deputy Director, Mary Cromer, will be joining this roundtable conversation on September 30 that will explore how histories of dispossession and unequal land ownership shape what gets built, where, and for whose benefit. Register for this event here: zoom.us/webinar/regi...
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialCentral Appalachia has been a key site of the extractive economy for two centuries. This roundtable conversation featuring Mary Cromer will explore how histories of dispossession and unequal land ownership shape what gets built, where, and for whose benefit. Register here:
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialJoin the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center and @reimagineappal8ia.bsky.social for a discussion of a new report tracking major milestones regarding mine safety and health from January 2025-September 2026 - via Zoom September 25. Register at the link below:
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialOur Director of Policy, Rebecca Shelton, is quoted in the article about her review of silica dust samples reported by MSHA from January to June of this year, showing that the problem is current and prevalent in our region.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.social“The only thing higher than our black lung rates is the amount of excuses.” Read more about the frustrating data around increasing black lung rates among younger miners, particularly in Central Appalachia.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialIn case you missed it, here's the recording of last week's webinar on Nature Based Hazard Mitigation. We had some fantastic insight from experts and communities. Thanks to all who attended and contributed to the rich discussion!
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.social"Our communities deserve investment before disaster strikes. They deserve infrastructure that protects them, resources that allow them to recover, and people willing to bet on their ideas for the future." Thanks to Willa Johnson of Worthy Ground, for this Op-Ed in this week's Mountain Eagle.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.socialOn August 26, 2026, the Kentucky PSC issued an order opening an investigation into the affordability of electric and natural gas utility service in the Commonwealth. The new proceeding will examine the drivers of rising utility costs and measures that could be taken to improve affordability.
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.social"I don't know how many 1,000 guys I have to evaluate or how many 1,000 guys have to die, before we fix a simple solvable problem," Crum said. "The only thing higher than our rates of black lung are excuses that we get here."
@appcitizenslaw.bsky.social"I don't know how many 1,000 guys I have to evaluate or how many 1,000 guys have to die, before we fix a simple solvable problem," Crum said. "The only thing higher than our rates of black lung are excuses that we get here."
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