Murray Energy CEO and documented piece of shit Bob Murray has told many whoppers in his time, but this may be the most obvious lie he's told yet.
According to the Associated Press, Murray lobbied the White House and the Energy Department to issue an emergency order that would allow coal-fired power plants to ignore environmental regulations for two years.
Murray reportedly claimed that if the Trump regime did not allow his business to ignore all environmental regulations, he would immediately go bankrupt and "tens of thousands" of coal miners would lose their jobs.
Murray told the White House that his key customer, Ohio-based electricity company FirstEnergy Solutions, was at immediate risk of bankruptcy. Without FirstEnergy’s plants burning his coal, Murray said his own company would be forced into “immediate bankruptcy,” triggering the layoffs of more than 6,500 miners. FirstEnergy acknowledged to the AP that bankruptcy of its power-generation business was a possibility. [...]
“As stated, disastrous consequences for President Trump, our electric power grid reliability, and tens of thousands of coal miners will result if this is not immediately done,” he wrote.
It's been nearly a month since Murray said this and, obviously, tens of thousands of miners haven't been laid off yet. A quick search tells me the Murray Energy Corporation only employs 3,000 people and very few of them actually work in mines. The company also operates freight terminals and machine shops along the Ohio River.
Murray also hasn't declared bankruptcy yet, unfortunately. Murray himself is not a poor man and Murray Energy has spent billions in recent years gobbling up energy companies including a $1.4 billion in cash purchase of Foresight Energy in 2015. Murray also spent $3.5 billion to buy five coal mines from Consol Energy in 2014. Consol sold their mines so they could shift to natural gas.
Murray also claims that Trump told him he would issue the order to exempt coal-fired power plants from all regulations and that may be the only true thing Murray has said. It's entirely plausible that Trump told Murray he would do it, but we don't know if Trump actually understood what he was saying (he probably didn't) and its not his call to make. The Energy Department responded to Murray's request by saying "the evidence does not warrant the use of this emergency authority."
Bob Murray is now accusing the Trump regime of breaking its promise to the coal industry and to him personally. It seems even Murray must eventually learn, like we all have, that Trump's word isn't worth spit. Hell, Trump doesn't even understand his own words.
