From Appalachian Voices (http://www.appvoices.org/):
Two important programs that support coal-impacted communities hang in the balance as Congress considers both the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the budget reconciliation bill. We need your help to ensure that funding for abandoned mine land cleanup and the Black Lung Disability Trust fund are solidified by the end of the year.
Tell the House to pass AML and Black Lung Funding TODAY at https://reclaimact.com/take-action?link_id=3!
Here’s where things stand:
The Abandoned Mine Land program expired September 30. But as long as Congress acts to extend the program by the end of the year, either by passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or Rep Cartwright’s H.R. 1734, the program and funding will continue.
The Senate has introduced a 10-year extension of the Black Lung Excise Tax that funds the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and the House budget reconciliation bill includes a 4-year extension.
The abandoned mine land program creates thousands of jobs and cleans up hazardous sites left behind by the coal industry before mining laws were enacted in 1977. The Black Lung Disability Trust Fund provides health and disability benefits to miners who are no longer able to work due to black lung disease and their survivors. The fees and taxes that fund the AML program will end and the black lung excise tax will be halved if Congress doesn’t act before the end of the year.
Tell the House to prioritize coal-impacted communities today!
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