Editorial: Coal mining mustn't be a death senence

To most Americans, black lung disease is something to be studied in history books, like plague or tuberculosis, and they can’t believe that any modern-day American is suffering and dying from the condition. Yet, quietly, in coal-mining regions up and down Appalachia, miners are getting sick and dying — and the problem’s getting worse.

Meanwhile, according to a Post-Gazette investigation by Michael D. Sallah, Jimmy Cloutier and Mike Wereschagin, the federal agency responsible for protecting miners from dangerous conditions regularly fails to do so. Among over 1,000 violations of coal-dust safety standards since 2014, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) failed to impose any penalties in about 1 in 5 cases, or 233.

This is happening at a time when the rates of lung dise