In 2 short weeks, the Alliance for Appalachia is bringing 40 citizen leaders to Washington, D.C. to tell their stories about mountaintop removal impacts, black lung, and the region's efforts to create a sustainable economy.
Stanley Sturgill is a community leader from southeast Kentucky who will be traveling with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, an Alliance member organization. He’ll be sharing his story of living with black lung disease in a community impacted by active and abandoned coal mine sites. Read Stanley’s story and stay tuned as we highlight more voices from Appalachia in the weeks to come.
You can support renewing the fund by signing the petition to urge your legislators to introduce legislation that would raise the Black Lung Disability Excise Tax by 25%, or at the very least maintain it at its current rate. http://bit.ly/black-lung.
Help us bring 40 Appalachian Leaders to Washington, DC!
September 23-26th!
Your support will help us:
Meet with members of Congress to educate them on the health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining in our communities and advocate support for theBlack Lung Disability Trust Fund. For decades, coal companies have pushed their costs onto people living near their operations and bailed on promises to provide healthcare to coal miners struggling with black lung. The rate of coal miners lung disease has doubled in less than a decade, creating an industrial epidemic across Appalachia. As we work for a just transition, we must stand up for our neighbors and hold the coal industry accountable to their debts and devastation.
Urge members of Congress to invest in our region by passing the RECLAIM Act (HR 1731). This bill is a unique, bipartisan proposal with support across the country; it would release $1 billion of existing funds to clean up toxic pollution on abandoned mine sites and promote community-led development.
Take action alongside allies in D.C. to reclaim the narratives and visions of people living in Appalachia by providing space for our members to tell their stories and experiences with confidence.
