May 31, 2016 - Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) believes more than 100,000 retired coal miners and their beneficiaries will soon be on the verge of losing their pensions if Congress does not approve the Miners Protection Act.

Brown also said the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. - the federal agency tasked with insuring retirement plans in the event employers can no longer meet their pension obligations - "is itself troubled, and may not be able to adequately address this crisis."

"We already have a bipartisan solution to help the coal miners who sacrificed so much to keep the country's lights on. We cannot sit idly by and watch the miners lose health benefits in a matter of months," Brown said.

Brown and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., introduced the bill earlier this year. Brown is urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to consider the legislation before senators take their summer recess.

"If Congress does not act, thousands of coal miners, including 3,284 miners, dependents and widows in Kentucky, will lose their retiree health benefits by the end of December and the United Mine Workers of America 1974 Pension Plan will hit a 'point of no return' beginning next year," Brown wrote to McConnell.

The UMWA's 1974 pension plan was 94 percent funded prior to 2008. But declining coal demand led to several large coal company bankruptcies, including Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, Alpha Natural Resources and Patriot Coal.

New technologies also allow coal companies to mine using with fewer employees than in years past, as the number of active miners paying into the union's pension fund is minuscule compared to the number of retirees and dependents collecting benefits.

In addition to Brown's action at the federal level, Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville, also is urging Congress to act.

"Our retired coal miners have worked hard and have earned their pensions and benefits. Congress has an obligation to ensure that the promises made to them are kept," he said.

"Coal miners have worked hard, played by the rules, but through no fault of their own find their retirement in jeopardy. They deserve to retire with dignity and not be concerned about economic security," added Babe Erdos, Ohio legislative and political coordinator for the UMWA.

If the UMWA pension fund fails, the PBGC would assume the responsibility of making payments to miners and their dependents. Brown, however, is not confident this organization would be able to meet all of its obligations under such a scenario.

"Therefore, when these troubled plans become insolvent and need the assistance of the PBGC, the PBGC may already be insolvent and unable to pay benefits," Brown wrote to McConnell. 

The Senate is scheduled to be in recess from July 15 through Sept. 6.