Energy Workers Health Improvement and Compensation Fund Act

This bill would set up a national fund to help pay certain medical bills for oil and gas workers and their families. The fund would cover costs like copays and other expenses not paid by private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid for asthma, heat-related illness, and other heart and lung diseases linked to pollution from oil and gas operations. Claims would be paid in the order they are received. The Department of Labor would run the program and make payments from the new fund.

Oil companies would finance the fund each year by paying an amount equal to what they paid their 10 highest‑paid employees that year. If they underpay, they would owe a penalty; extra voluntary payments are allowed, but required and excess amounts wouldn’t be tax‑deductible. A “family member” can qualify if they are a spouse, son, daughter, or parent who has lived within 20 miles of an oil and gas site for at least one year. “Oil company” means an exploration or extraction company with over $50 million in annual revenue.

The bill would also create a commission to study worker health and recommend ways to improve it. It must be set up within 90 days, include health and labor officials, advocacy groups, and oil and gas workers from Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Texas, and issue public recommendations within 18 months. The Labor Department must respond within 90 days. The Labor Department would also report each year on how much money went into the fund and how much was paid out.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Oil and gas workers and their close family members near drilling or exploration sites; large oil and gas companies fund the program.
• What changes: A new fund pays certain medical costs for illnesses linked to oil and gas pollution; claims are first‑come, first‑served.
• How it’s paid for: Annual payments from oil companies based on the total pay of their top 10 earners, plus penalties if they underpay.
• When: Companies pay by March 31 for the prior year; the commission is formed within 90 days, gives recommendations by 18 months, and the Labor Department reports annually starting one year after enactment.