"How a Coal Baron’s Wish List Became President Trump’s To-Do List"

"WASHINGTON — President Trump’s first year in office has been a boon for the coal industry, with the Trump administration rolling back regulations on coal-fired power plants and withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate change agreement.

Environmentalists have expressed alarm at the new direction, and have complained that Mr. Trump was following a blueprint from the coal industry. A confidential memo written by the head of the country’s largest coal mining company suggests they might not be wrong.

The memo was written by Robert E. Murray, a longtime Trump supporter who donated $300,000 to the president’s inauguration. In it, Mr. Murray, the head of Murray Energy, presented Mr. Trump with a wish list of environmental rollbacks just weeks after the inauguration.

Nearly a year later, the White House and federal agencies have completed or are on track to fulfill most of the 14 detailed requests, even with Monday’s decision by federal regulators to reject a proposal by Energy Secretary Rick Perry to subsidize struggling coal and nuclear plants."

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times January 9, 2018.

SEE ALSO:

"Murray Energy’s ‘Action Plan’ for the Trump Administration" (Robert E. Murray)

"Coal Mogul: Trump Should Fire Energy Officials For Rejecting Perry Plan" (The Hill)

"It’s The Same Story Under Trump As Under Obama: Coal Is Losing Out To Natural Gas" (Washington Post)

"Coal Executive Blasts Federal Energy Regulators For ‘Bureaucratic Cop-Out’ On Trump Administration Power Plan" (Washington Post)