I have met Bob Murray (the asshole mine guy)...

[Sir Jeffrey]

and I know a lot of people who work for him at one of his coal mines.

I have heard many stories about this guy from one of his secretaries. Apparently he is bff with Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft. When he goes to Washington, he gets in to see people at the White House with only a few hours' notice. He owns congressmen and does his own lobbying.

One thing I do know for certain (because I heard it from him myself), is that Mr. Murray was one of the Cheney Energy Task Force guys. He was in on the meetings and got his coal written into deals.

At the mine with which I am familiar, Mr. Murray flies in periodically and holds dinners for powerful politicians (people you would recognize, Ashcroft was one). I was strong-armed into attending one of them since they were one of my biggest clients, and it was made clear to me that by choosing not to attend I would lose their business. His employees at the mine are not given such an easy fate. Either pay the $150 or so for the ticket or you will be run out of a job (not in so many words but they get the idea)....and in that particular area there aren't many jobs anyway (much less those that pay $18 an hour). The dinner I was forced to attend was held for a supposedly moderate Republican US Senator in order to buy her support for several energy bills. She sold out, of course.

As for Lou Dobbs gushing over the guy, Mr Murray probably owns someone at CNN. A few months ago I saw a report on CNN where they did a hit piece on "An Inconvenient Truth" where they had Mr. Murray as one of their experts. They gave him a platform to spout off about how clean coal technology is great and how environmentalists are costing hard-working people their jobs. CNN, true to form, allowed these statements to go unchallenged. It stuck in my head because I knew Mr. Murray from one of my previous jobs, and I was offended that they tried to pass him off as some sort of humanitarian populist just looking out for the common folk he employs. After all, he is a "self-made man" as I am sure has been mentioned in the news cycle today.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Well, after today's bizarre press conference, in which he was obviously more concerned with

promoting his industry and denying his company's liability than in expressing his concern for the miners, I'd say the humanitarian label might have slipped off the soup can.

[fishnfla]

15. Shameless self-promotion while "God" was offing the guys in his mine

made me sick to my stomach. I'm sure the lawyers will tell him: STFU

[wryter2000]

2. K&R

Doesn't that just figure. I wish a few of his sort would see hard jail time.

[Bluzmann57]

5. Some of their sort have seen jail time

I work for an MSHA governed place, although not a mine, and as VP of our local Union, I have toured the place with inspectors. They have a stiff system of fines and jail time in place for violators. There are two mine operators originally located in southern Illinois who are currently wanted for murder because they sent a 19 year old kid into a dangerous surface mining situation without any training. He died. They are still on the run, as far as I know. The company I work for had a trucker die because he climbed on top of his trailer and fell. The plant manager and the former plant superintendent were looking at 14 years apiece even though they had nothing to do with the man's death, at least not directly. We have been told that we will be terminated on the spot if we do not follow certain safety procedures. So MSHA does have safety rules in place. Smoking in a non smoking area is $275.00 per cigarette or cigar plus an additional $275.00 for any lighters the individual may have. $1000.00 for not wearing a seat belt when operating mobile equipment. These are two of the minor penalties. When people die, MSHA does not look upon it kindly.
on edit- Owners are liable for accidents, but it's usually their underlings, such as supervisors, who take the fall for these types of incidents. Sort of telling if you ask me.

[wryter2000]

22. Thanks for the information

I'm glad something is done to these murderers. I hope something is done to this guy.

[DemoTex]

3. Murray on the Cheney Energy Task Force ... so was my former boss.

Ken Lay. Birds-of-a-Feather, eh?

[alstephenson]

4. Wow! Thanks for the telling info....

From my limited exposure to him on TV I could just tell something wasn't quite right about him.

[Sir Jeffrey]

6. Found this...

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/energy_task_force/nrdcmasterlist_9902partysplit.asp

Energy Task Force Documents
Contributions Related to Energy Task Force Meetings Involving Energy Department Officials, 1999-2002*

Murray Energy Corp. $391,500, only $11,000 of that to Democrats.

What is important to note from my experience is that the data from opensecrets is ridiculously low. He trots out these high profile friends of his to oversee his fundraising activities (which basically amounts to extortion). About 500 people work at one mine, at $150 a pop, repeat for all the other mines he owns and he is raising a hell of a lot more than $380,000 for Republicans.

edited to add that the $150 tickets are counted as *individual* donations separate from Murray Energy or one the subsidiaries writing a check directly.

[KT2000]

7. Question for you

Is he the man who buys up failing mines for cheap and then gets a pass from the government on pollution laws? The man who does this is said to be responsible for some of the worst air quality in the nation. Safety at the mines is not great either.

Vanity Fair ran an article about such a guy a few years ago. At the time I wondered why people in Utah did not stand up for themselves to this guy.

[Sir Jeffrey]

10. Well, I only know him from the one mine...

and he did buy that mine as it was getting ready to shut down. It could have been him, but I am not familiar with anything written about him in Vanity Fair. I suspect that it is fairly common in the coal industry for failing mines to be bought by the politically connected, given the environmental concerns.

I am not familiar with the charges made in the Vanity Fair article, but I do know he is a big big big proponent of voluntary compliance regulations. VC regs are one of the more common ways big business gets a free pass on laws. Whether it is environmental concerns or safety concerns, VC regs means the law is worthless.

I would be interested in reading that article if you have a link. I'll look for it in the meantime.

[KT2000]

13. Thanks for the info

I will do some searching and hope I find that article for you.

[KT2000]

16. Another article

It looks like he owns several mines and is still acquiring them. He is based in Cleveland, Ohio - Murray Enrgy Corp.
I can't find the Vanit Fair article but what is discussed in this article is the same thing - just no mention of the air pollution:

http://www.umwa.org/journal/VOL114NO3/mayjune03feature.shtml

"In a September 2002 meeting with MSHA representatives, coal operator Robert Murray repeatedly threatened to have MSHA employees fired over agency enforcement actions at his mines, according to unedited notes received by National Public Radio (NPR) reporter Jeff Young. (Murray owns Murray Energy Corp. and Ohio Valley Coal Co.).

Subsequently, the MSHA District 3 official charged with policing Murray's mines was transferred elsewhere. Why? According to NPR, Murray bragged he had friends in high places, naming MSHA head David Lauriski and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), husband of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

"Sadly," observed Roberts, "this isn't the first time the UMWA has been suspicious of sudden MSHA personnel reassignments." According to an agency official, in April 2002, Murray met with Lauriski in western Pennsylvania where the agency's District 2 office is located. Prior to that meeting, Murray's nearby Maple Creek mine was a leader nationwide in the number of citations issued by MSHA for safety and health violations. After that meeting, MSHA suddenly reassigned two District 2 officials. And not so coincidentally, the number of MSHA's citations against Maple Creek dropped significantly.

MSHA coal enforcement head Ray McKinney explained the reassignments were made simply "for the good of the agency," reported the Charleston Gazette. However, in view of Murray's threats, the UMWA is not buying that explanation."

The UMWA is also concerned that contributions from Murray's political action committee (PAC) may have factored into MSHA's decisions to suddenly transfer officials targeted by the coal operator. According to the Federal Election Commission, in the 2002 election cycle, Murray's PAC contributed a staggering $388,875—98 percent of which went to the Republican Party. Since 1998, Murray's PAC has been the third largest coal mining contributor to the GOP. "Did this money gain Murray political favor?" asked Roberts. "Judging by the sudden reassignments of the three MSHA officials with whom Murray was apparently angry, it sure seems like it. Political favors and threats should not dictate how often—or by whom—a mine is inspected."

[sandnsea]

17. Blankenship of Massey Energy

Massey is just the worst company. IIRC, it was one of their mines that had one of the worst blowouts in WV. He and Murray are two peas in a pod.

[KT2000]

20. Thank you! n/t

[laruemtt]

8. lou dobbs likes him -

said "he's my kind of guy - sounds like a real patriot." :puke:

[bullwinkle428]

12. Someone should tell Lou that if this Murray guy could physcially move

his mining operation to China so he could pay the workers dirt-cheap wages, he would do it in a heartbeat!!! :mad:

Or God forbid, MEXICO??? Cue the dramatic prairie dog!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHjFxJVeCQs#

[spinbaby]

9. Yes, it's true

I have relatives who are snagged in Murray's little extortion plan. There aren't many jobs around here that pay decently, so they're stuck.

[Sir Jeffrey]

11. I'd love to get an exact figure...

of how much Mr. Murray's "dinners" net for Republicans.

[spinbaby]

14. Check your in box n/t

[malaise]

18. He just said it will take another week to reach the miners

on CNN. Sounds like the roof is still falling.

[democrat2thecore]

19. Big Union Buster - Google him -nt

[Sir Jeffrey]

21. Oh definitely...

I heard from one of his secretaries that one of his mines in Ohio was going to go union. He met with some of the miners pressing for the union and told them that if they won the vote, he would shut down the mine and reopen across the street.

Nothing like some good old fashioned 19th century union-busting, eh?

[npincus]

23. no wonder FAUX keeps whoring the "Seismic" explanation for mine collapse

and not allowing earth scientists to rebutt.

[malaise]

26. This morning MSNBC said the mine 'caved in'

and dropped the earthquake rubbish. I gave them deserved kudos.

[npincus]

27. yes, MSNBC + CNN reporting that geologists don't believe

it was an earthquake... but are raising the issue of "retreat mining". Hmmmm.

[AX10]

24. Natural Resource companies are run by reich wingers.

They want to gang rape the Earth for profit.

[npincus]

25. kick