472
Stevens, J., dissenting
maining signatories to avoid their obligations under the agreements. The result is effectively the same downward spiral that doomed the NBCWAs.5 Eastern, 524 U. S., at 511.
In my judgment the holding in this case is the product of a misguided approach to issues of statutory construction. The text of the statute provides us with evidence that is usually sufficient to disclose the intent of the enacting Congress, but that is not always the case. There are occasions when an exclusive focus on text seems to convey an incoherent message, but other reliable evidence clarifies the statute and avoids the apparent incoherence. In such a case—and this is one—we should never permit a narrow focus on text to obscure a commonsense appraisal of that additional evidence.
I respectfully dissent.
5 For the first three years of the Act, the health care costs for orphaned miners are shared among the signatories. Starting in the fourth year, payment is deducted first from interest earned on the Department of Interior's Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund (AML), 26 U. S. C. § 9705(b) (1994 ed.). If those funds are exhausted or unavailable, then the costs are shared by the remaining signatories. While the availability of the interest transfers may delay another financial crisis, it should be noted that the AML funds are earmarked for other purposes. See 30 U. S. C. § 1232(g) (1994 ed.); CRS Report, Coal Industry: Use of Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund Monies for UMWA "Orphan Retiree" Health Benefits, 138 Cong. Rec. 34004, 34006 (1992) ("First priority goes to mining abandonments that could present imminent danger to public health and safety. . . . Any remaining AML funds are designated to eliminate environmental hazards"). Moreover, given the high cost of health care for retired miners, and the likely diminution of the fund's interest earning capacity, see id., at 34006- 34007, the interest may not last for long.
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