As miners lobby in DC to restore black lung fund, NPR and PBS hold a screening of black-lung documentary on July 23 - Entrepreneur Generations

NPR and the PBS program "Frontline" will hold a special screening of their documentary Coal's Deadly Dust from 7-8:30 p.m. July 23 at the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The film, first released in January, explores the rise of advanced black-lung disease among coal miners and the government's failure to respond. After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with people in the film, including recently retired NPR reporter Howard Berkes, who reported tirelessly on black lung for years and uncovered much of the information used in the documentary; coal miners Greg Kelly and Danny Smith, who both have black lung; epidemiologist Scott Laney from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; respiratory therapist Marcy Tate; and former federal mine safety official Celeste Monforton.

The event is free and open to the public, but please RSVP. Click here for more information or to reserve a seat. If you're not able to attend, click here to view the film.

Also on Tuesday, about 120 coal miners, many with black lung, will be in Washington to urge lawmakers to restore a tax that funds the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. The fund, which coal companies pay for through an excise tax, helps pay medical expenses of black-lung patients, but in January the tax was cut in half. The fund is at least $4.3 billion in debt, The Associated Press reports.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2Ye4Tf5 As miners lobby in DC to restore black lung fund, NPR and PBS hold a screening of black-lung documentary on July 23 - Entrepreneur Generations

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