HILL ENERGY BRIEFING: Coal Miners Put Manchin on Spot

Coal miners sickened by black-lung disease need renewal of an income stream to help fund their disability benefits. Sen. Joe Manchin, a pivotal figure in the Biden administration’s contentious budget plans, is under pressure to deliver.

Congress will ensure it’s “taken care of,” Manchin (D-W.Va.) said. He predicted his stand-alone legislation (S. 2810), extending the 2021 tax rate companies pay into the Black Lung Disability Fund through 2031, will end up in a larger legislative package that’s yet to be determined.

Disabled miners and their dependents still have been receiving their benefits since the rate expired on Dec. ...