DOL Ignoring Biden’s Black Lung Benefits Rule, Democrats Say (1)

The Department of Labor likely isn’t enforcing a Biden-era requirement that self-insured coal mine operators post enough security to cover their liabilities for contributing to the medical benefits of miners affected by black lung, congressional Democrats say.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), ranking member of the subcommittee on workforce protections, demanded the DOL provide documentation showing the agency is implementing the Black Lung Self-Insurance Rule, released in December 2024. The pair said their staff have “heard reports from multiple stakeholders that DOL has informed ...