WAR ON COAL

Energy CEO Lays off Staff With a Prayer

Laments President Obama’s reelection.

Really? The day after President Obama was reelected, CEO Robert E. Murray—the head of the largest privately owned coal-mining company in the U.S.—read a prayer to his employees and asked God for forgiveness for laying off nearly 150 employees. He blamed a “war on coal” lead by Obama, of course. Back in October, The New Republic reported that Murray Energy—which has been scrutinized by environmentalists for several sludge spills into an Ohio river—made its miners attend a Romney speech in Ohio over the summer. The CEO has denied the account. The report also claims that the company’s employees have donated more than $1.4 million to Republican presidential candidates since 2007.