Jul 19 Energy & Environment Coal Miners To Hit Capitol Hill For Black Lung Funding Dozens of Appalachian coal miners plan to visit Capitol Hill Tuesday to ask lawmakers to bolster funding for the black lung disability trust fund, which miners depend upon when no responsible company can be identified to pay for needed health care. The fund is already billions of dollars in debt, and that will likely grow […] By Sydney Boles Jul 19 Energy & Environment Coal Miners To Hit Capitol Hill For Black Lung Funding Sydney Boles
Jul 18 Economy Living Wage: Ohio Valley Workers, Employers React As House Votes For $15 Minimum Wage The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than double the current $7.25 rate, which has not changed in a decade. The bill is unlikely to clear the Republican-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said he will not take it […] By Becca Schimmel Jul 18 Economy Living Wage: Ohio Valley Workers, Employers React As House Votes For $15 Minimum Wage Becca Schimmel
May 10 Economy From Russia, With Loot: KY Aluminum Company’s New Russian Partner Raises Concerns A large whiteboard in an Ashland, Kentucky, unemployment office is covered with a list of companies that are currently hiring. Senior career counselor Melissa Sloas said that just a few years ago, that board was a lot emptier. This corner of eastern Kentucky has long struggled to make up for losses in mining and manufacturing. […] By Sydney Boles May 10 Economy From Russia, With Loot: KY Aluminum Company’s New Russian Partner Raises Concerns Sydney Boles
Apr 15 Economy Kentucky Aluminum Plant Investor Is Russian Company Formerly Under U.S. Sanctions Russian aluminum company Rusal announced Monday it plans to invest in a new Kentucky aluminum mill to be built near Ashland in eastern Kentucky. The $200 million investment in Braidy Industries is Rusal’s first U.S. project since the Trump administration lifted U.S. sanctions placed against the company. Rusal had been sanctioned by the U.S. government […] By Sydney Boles Apr 15 Economy Kentucky Aluminum Plant Investor Is Russian Company Formerly Under U.S. Sanctions Sydney Boles
Mar 27 Energy & Environment House Subcommittee To Consider Coal Mine Reclamation Bill A congressional subcommittee will hear testimony Thursday in support of a bill that would help clean up and redevelop surface mine land. The bill enjoys bipartisan support, but still faces hurdles. A 2015 report found that as many as 6.2 million acres of land and water were harmed by mining operations that ended prior to […] By Sydney Boles Mar 27 Energy & Environment House Subcommittee To Consider Coal Mine Reclamation Bill Sydney Boles
Dec 14 Energy & Environment Black Lung, Red Ink: Residents Press McConnell As Deadline Looms For Black Lung Fund On a cool but clear November day about a dozen residents from eastern Kentucky’s coal mining region crowded into the lobby of an office building in the small town of London, Kentucky. That’s where Kentucky’s powerful senior senator, Mitch McConnell, has his local field office. McConnell’s staff let the local advocates for black lung treatment […] By Becca Schimmel and Sydney Boles Dec 14 Energy & Environment Black Lung, Red Ink: Residents Press McConnell As Deadline Looms For Black Lung Fund Becca Schimmel and Sydney Boles
Oct 23 Health McConnell Hints At Action To Preserve Tax Supporting Black Lung Fund Amid a surge in cases of black lung disease, concerns are rising about the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, which provides federal benefits to some coal miners with the disease. A tax that supports the fund would be cut by half at the end of the year unless Congress acts. Now Senate Majority Leader Mitch […] By Sydney Boles Oct 23 Health McConnell Hints At Action To Preserve Tax Supporting Black Lung Fund Sydney Boles
Jun 4 Energy & Environment Black Lung Benefits Fund in Deepening Debt as Epidemic Surges A new study from the Government Accountability Office finds that the federal fund supporting coal miners with black lung disease could be in financial trouble without Congressional action. As NPR has reported, the GAO found that the fund’s debt could rise dramatically at the same time that black lung disease is surging. Most federal benefits […] By Benny Becker Jun 4 Energy & Environment Black Lung Benefits Fund in Deepening Debt as Epidemic Surges Benny Becker
Apr 24 Resource Shift McConnell Aide Takes Appalachian Regional Commission Role Not long after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky squared off with President Trump over funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission, the ARC has a new federal co-chair with strong ties to McConnell. Long-time McConnell aide Tim Thomas said he can see a day when the Appalachian Regional Commission is no longer needed. But […] By Becca Schimmel Apr 24 Resource Shift McConnell Aide Takes Appalachian Regional Commission Role Becca Schimmel
Apr 20 Resource Shift Firing Offense: Where Ohio Valley Senators Stand On Special Counsel Mueller “Why don’t you just fire the guy?” The question came in a press availability with President Trump soon after he learned that federal agents, acting on information from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, had raided the offices of his personal lawyer, Robert Cohen. The president visibly warmed to the question. Arms crossed, he answered, “Many people […] By Jeff Young Apr 20 Resource Shift Firing Offense: Where Ohio Valley Senators Stand On Special Counsel Mueller Jeff Young