Founder and former CEO of Murray Energy, Robert E. Murray is a notorious climate change denier and avid supporter of coal. Mr. Murray has risen to fame in part due to his excessive self-paid salaries, support of the Republican Party, and his advocacy for the coal industry. Mr. Murray is on the board of directors at numerous coal associations, including:
- National Mining Association
- American Coal Foundation
- National Coal Council
- Ohio Coal Association
- Pennsylvania Coal Association
Mr. Murray is also a former president and trustee of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc., as well as the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., in addition to having been the past president of The Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute. Mr. Murray has worked to reduce environmental regulation and bring coal back to the forefront of the energy sector. He notably wrote President Trump a memo outlining an energy ‘Action Plan’ to roll back regulations with 16 requests. Some particularly heinous examples include withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord, overhauling mine safety and health regulations, cutting the EPA by half, revising coal mine dust regulation, and eliminating the Clean Power Plan. The level of access Mr. Murray has had to cabinet officials has been alarming, and many of his plans have come to fruition. The New York Times in a published article titled “How a Coal Baron’s Wish List Became President Trump’s To-Do List” states: “I really don’t think it’s at all unusual that Murray would have this wish list or a set of recommendations. What makes it different is that it’s pretty clear that he has a personal relationship with the president,” Mr. Holmstead said. “It seems like given Mr. Murray’s relationship with the president that he had more of an expectation that these things were going to be accepted or implemented.” Mr. Murray is a dangerous and outspoken critic of environmental protection and is a heavy contributor to climate denial. See also: Julie A. Piggot, Roger Nober, Kathryn Farmer, Steven Bobb, and Charles R. Ice.
Climate of Denial