Julia PyperVerified account

"You can't count on a coal company to protect coal miners," @CecilRoberts said. Companies are aware that silica causes black lung. But he primarily blamed Congress for not taking action on enforcement, and he blames Congress for not passing bankruptcy reform.

"We have never denied - ever, ever - the existence of climate change," @CecilRoberts went on to say. "It’s real ... and it needs to be dealt with." He noted @MineWorkers supported the 2010 Waxman-Markey carbon pricing bill which would have funded carbon capture technology.

If Waxman-Markey had passed "we would have been way down the road” on coal coal technologies (which President Obama once touted), said @CecilRoberts @MineWorkers.

Roberts said Trump admin regulation changes have helped stem job losses by propping up metallurgical coal used for making steel, but noted steam coal power plants continue to close. He said tariffs have helped buoy US steel, but fears they may now “be endangering our economy.”

He thanked @AOC for engaging with the @MineWorkers coal union and her support for fixing their pension plans. But he criticized the #GreenNewDeal, stating it would cost $4 trillion and eliminate not only coal worker jobs but other union jobs too.

Final takeaways: A lot of people talk about an "energy transition" but they ignore the painful personal transition coal workers must go through in a bankruptcy situation, according to Roberts. Many politicians talk about the plight of coal workers, but "nobody really cares."

.@CecilRoberts placed blame across the aisle, noting @MineWorkers have been a pain in Mitch McConnell's side & called on him to support pension legislation. Congress is stalled. Workers are sick & frustrated. Perhaps a single tweet from Trump could spur action, Roberts suggested.

Ultimately: "We come today to be part of this conversation," said @CecilRoberts @MineWorkers. "We want to talk with everybody. We want our pension plans saved and our healthcare saved... (continued)