Minnesota House and Senate have approved study of mesothelioma among Iron Range miners and reached agreement with Governor on funding
Recently, the Minnesota House and Senate approved a 5-year, 4-phase study of mesothelioma among Minnesota’s Iron Range miners to be led by the University of Minnesota. There have been 58 deaths attributed to mesothelioma among this mining population, which has shown an increased rate in the asbestos-related cancer since the late 1980s.
But although everyone agreed that a comprehensive study was needed, lawmakers had a far more difficult time agreeing on where the funding for such a study should come from. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty had threatened a veto because he was concerned that funding the study from the workers’ compensation fund would risk premium increases for Minnesota businesses.
Governor Pawlenty has since reached an agreement with legislators to fund the study by taking $4.9 million from a Department of Commerce-administered fund that is currently operating with a substantial surplus.
For more information on this story, go to Star Tribune, story 1; Minnesota Public Radio, story 1; Minnesota Daily; Minnesota Public Radio, story 2; and Star Tribune, story 2.
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