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Claiborne County urges federal lawmakers to preserve Black Lung Disability Trust Fund funding
Summary
The commission adopted RES.2018-090 urging U.S. lawmakers to maintain the Black Lung excise tax and support the RECLAIM Act; the resolution cites rising black lung rates and the need to protect miner benefits and reclamation funding.
Claiborne County Commissioners voted to adopt Resolution 2018-090 on Dec. 17, 2018, urging U.S. senators and representatives to maintain the Black Lung excise tax at its current level and to support the bipartisan RECLAIM Act (H.R. 1731). The resolution was sponsored by Commissioner James (Jimmy) Hatmaker (District 9) and approved by voice vote.
The text of the resolution states that black lung disease is an incurable, fatal condition caused by coal-dust exposure, asserts that rates are increasing in East Tennessee and Central Appalachia, and notes that thousands of miners rely on benefits administered through the federal Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. The resolution urges federal lawmakers to protect the fund’s solvency and not to shift obligations to taxpayers, and it calls for passage of the RECLAIM Act to support mine reclamation and economic development.
The minutes record the resolution text and a voice vote to approve; no county-level financial commitment was recorded. The resolution asks Claiborne County’s congressional delegation to act and does not, by itself, create a local program or expenditure.
