Deep Fear in Coal Country

A file cabinet decorated with a coal car is shown inside Bluestone Health Association’s Black Lung clinic on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Princeton, W.Va.

The Mitchell Power Plant and the Ohio River are shown on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Moundsville, W.Va.

Amanda Lawson checks her father, Danny Johnson’s, the temperature at her parent’s home on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Princeton, W.Va. Danny was a former coal miner and suffers from black lung.

Danny Johnson stands in his yard on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Princeton, W.Va. Danny was a former coal miner and suffers from black lung.

Debbie Johnson, left, holds her husband’s, Danny, hand, and her daughter’s, Amanda Lawson, hand as they pray before they dinner together on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Princeton, W.Va

Part of Wendle Hopkins’s medication and black lung aids are shown inside his home on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Princeton, W.Va.

Amanda Lawson, Black lung benefits counselor, and patient care coordinator leaves Bluestone Health Association on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Princeton, W.Va.

Amanda Lawson, Black lung benefits counselor, and patient care coordinator organizes files and paperwork on her desk near the end of her work day at Bluestone Health Association’s Black Lung Clinic on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Princeton, W.Va.

The Paladin Professional Center, which holds an office license for the Mine Safety and Health Administration, is shown in Mt Pleasant on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

Industry around the Marshall County Coal Mine is shown on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Moundsville, W.Va.