EPA Chief lies about number of coal jobs created

[HomerJS]

Tired of Russia 24x7? Here's some news coming from the administration that show they are doing a great job. Did you know 50,000 coal jobs have been created? Bolstering Trump's extracating the US from the Paris accord.

Oh wait a second. DId I say 50,000 jobs? Actually only 50,000 jobs exists in total in the coal industry. Pruitt conflated mining and coal jobs and that stated we created 50,000 coal jobs.

Read it for yourself and ask, how's that MAGA working for ya??

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...e-been-gained-in-coal/?utm_term=.66db08a8bd72

But the biggest problem with Pruitt’s statistic is that most of the gain in “mining” jobs has nothing to do with coal. Most of the new jobs were in a subcategory called “support activities for mining,” which accounted for more than 40,000 of the new jobs since October and more than 30,000 of the jobs since January[/B]

 

[Stokely]

The tough part about coal mining is that even if the mines re-open the work will mostly be automated. I'm sure there will be jobs for people that can program and fix the automated machines, but I doubt that's going to help most out of work miners (and the number of those positions is not that many).

I feel bad for those folks (hell a lot of us are going to know what it feels like to be put out of work by AI/robots in the future), but the fact is that politicians blaming overseas workers and regulations for their loss of jobs is incomplete reporting at best. Wonder why Trump or anyone else doesn't mention automation...no boogeyman there to blame is why--unless we are going to put in regulations stating companies can't automate (!)

 

[Jhhnn]

Pruitt knows the truth. He's the willing lackey of Oil & Gas. I'll bet it pays fantastic, one way or another.

He'll get over where it counts, with all of the willing believers who don't know much about it at all.

 

[Jhhnn]

It's both appalling & slightly humorous when conservatives' idea of a jobs program is sending people to the mines... I guess it beats sending them to prison. Being a prisoner is a really shitty job.

 

[K1052]

The entire utility industry has basically shrugged at Trump/Pruitt and will continue closing thermal coal plants in favor or renewables and natural gas. The few mines that have opened supply met coal for steelmaking, which makes up a small fraction of overall coal mined. That Pruitt has to lie about the jobs is unsurprising.

 

[JSt0rm]

A beautiful new mine.

 

[Pens1566]

There's more people employed in this country by Arby's than in the coal industry.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

There's more people employed in this country by Arby's than in the coal industry.

And now a word from our sponsor

 

[Zorba]

It's both appalling & slightly humorous when conservatives' idea of a jobs program is sending people to the mines... I guess it beats sending them to prison. Being a prisoner is a really shitty job.

Prisoners probably have better job safety and longer life expectancy...

 

[UglyCasanova]

Coal isn't the future and the right has latched onto it for political reasons and thus here we are. Cuts to the EPA are a tradgedy.

 

[Jhhnn]

Coal isn't the future and the right has latched onto it for political reasons and thus here we are. Cuts to the EPA are a tradgedy.

It's a total misdirection play. Pruitt & Tillerson are all about oil & gas. They won't even slow the market driven switch away from coal. They know it's a lost cause. But they'll pretend, obviously.

 

[UglyCasanova]

It's a total misdirection play. Pruitt & Tillerson are all about oil & gas. They won't even slow the market driven switch away from coal. They know it's a lost cause. But they'll pretend, obviously.

Pretend why, what's the play?

 

[brycejones]

Pretend why, what's the play?

Nothing less than winning the Whitehouse....

 

[Jhhnn]

Pretend why, what's the play?

They don't have to actually create coal jobs to convince their voting base that they have. It's just more bullshit to believe in.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Pretend why, what's the play?

The super Mario triple play. Money, power, respect.

 

[Stokely]

Exactly. They told a lot of down-on-their-luck angry people exactly what they wanted to hear in order to get elected. "We'll bring back your jobs." I'll be surprised if there's any attempt to bring back jobs, and even more surprised if such an attempt actually works (because of things like automation, and in the case of coal, economics that favor fracking and renewables more each day).

 

[alien42]

Exactly. They told a lot of down-on-their-luck angry people exactly what they wanted to hear in order to get elected. "We'll bring back your jobs." I'll be surprised if there's any attempt to bring back jobs, and even more surprised if such an attempt actually works (because of things like automation, and in the case of coal, economics that favor fracking and renewables more each day).

thankfully, there is nothing the Trump admin can do to slow down the job growth in the renewable/green energy industries and the ultimate demise of the fossil fuel industries.

 

[Jhhnn]

Exactly. They told a lot of down-on-their-luck angry people exactly what they wanted to hear in order to get elected. "We'll bring back your jobs." I'll be surprised if there's any attempt to bring back jobs, and even more surprised if such an attempt actually works (because of things like automation, and in the case of coal, economics that favor fracking and renewables more each day).

One of my favorite cartoons on the subject-

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

The entire utility industry has basically shrugged at Trump/Pruitt and will continue closing thermal coal plants in favor or renewables and natural gas. The few mines that have opened supply met coal for steelmaking, which makes up a small fraction of overall coal mined. That Pruitt has to lie about the jobs is unsurprising.

Agree completely.

This is the beauty of america. No matter how much the trump admin gives a circle jerk to coal - at the end of the day natural gas is much cheaper and economical. At the same time, people are demanding "Green energy" with solar panels/wind. Consumers with their dollars talk much louder than votes, politicians, or CEOs ever will. If you disagree with that you're an idiot.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

thankfully, there is nothing the Trump admin can do to slow down the job growth in the renewable/green energy industries and the ultimate demise of the fossil fuel industries.

Precisely.

If anything, speaking out against it fuels the death of fossil fuels. Notice how the likes Exxon Mobil, etc... did not approve of Trump backing out of the Paris climate agreement? The reason is simple - the backlash publicity with consumer dollars will do far more than any fucking retarded agreement of self-made goals ever would.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Nothing less than winning the Whitehouse....

I agree with that

 

[Jhhnn]

Precisely.

If anything, speaking out against it fuels the death of fossil fuels. Notice how the likes Exxon Mobil, etc... did not approve of Trump backing out of the Paris climate agreement? The reason is simple - the backlash publicity with consumer dollars will do far more than any fucking retarded agreement of self-made goals ever would.

Hypothetical unintended consequences are the good part?