Mine Safety Advocate Tony Oppegard '80 Quoted in NPR

Mine safety advocate Tony Oppegard '80 was quoted in NPR criticizing a Republican amendment to block funding for a Labor Department effort to reduce the occurrence of black lung, the disease that afflicts coal miners exposed to excessive mine dust.

"Appalachian coal miners whose pickup trucks sport 'Friends of Coal' stickers might ought to re-assess who their true friends are," says Tony Oppegard, a former Kentucky and federal mine safety regulator now representing coal miners in lawsuits against mining companies. "It's certainly not Republicans who stand silent in the midst of a health crisis," Oppegard adds. "Our nation needs fewer 'Friends of Coal' and more 'Friends of Coal Miners'."

Read more on NPR, "Republican Lawmakers Seek To Block Funding On Black Lung Regulation"