Congress wants U.S. coal industry destroyed: exec

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A senior coal company executive on Wednesday lambasted U.S. lawmakers for proposing caps on emissions blamed for global warming, saying the Democrats were out to destroy America’s coal industry.

Robert Murray, chairman, president and chief executive of Murray Energy Corp., also blasted the federal government’s mine safety agency for “outrageous” new fines that he warned could put some miners out of business.


“There is no question that the majority party in this country wants to eliminate the coal industry,” Murray told the McCloskey’s Coal USA conference, adding that some Republicans were also advocating tough measures.

A prominent environmentalist was quick to dismiss the remarks. “We don’t see a conflict between protecting the climate and continuing to use reasonable amounts of coal,” David Hawkins, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in an interview.

Reuters