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From the Right by Ed Farnan

Murray Energy, the canary in the mineshaft for America and its source of power

Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2012 at 02:17 PM

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Robert Murray, CEO of Murray Energy, Americas largest privately owned coal company, has been a strong and articulate defender of his industry.

Murray has over 3,000 employees and their families, who depend on his leadership and good judgment for their livelihoods. Countless thousands of other jobs depend on support industries that rely on the shipping, handling and processing of what he produces……Millions of Americans depend on Murray Energy to light and heat their homes for a modest price.

Mr. Murray is a frequent guest on television shows who seek him out for his business acumen & expertise on what it takes to keep Americas economic engine fueled.…. he has never shied away from speaking his mind.

Mr. Murray and I have been communicating over the future of America’s energy industry and what can be done to keep America’s energy prices affordable.

I was taken by surprise when Mr. Murray sent me an email with an excerpt from his private staff meeting held yesterday. What I read within alarmed me, because he is a strong, steady, intelligent leader, whose history is not one of making knee jerk reactions.

On the corner of the attached email was a note to me in his handwriting, telling me to feel free to use this information as I feel fit to do. As a result I have decided to post it in its entirety and share it with my fellow Americans.

In a sign of the gravity that Mr. Murray feels America has come to, he accompanied the notes of his meeting with a prayer, which I will also post.

What I foresee in America

Staff Meeting November 7, 2012

1. Drastically reduced economic activity

2. Reduced electric power consumption

3. Drastically reduced coal markets w/worse coal pricing

4. Total destruction of the coal industry by 2030

5. Enactment of 12 EPA regs alone, by the Obama Administration

6. Per Sen Imhoffe: 3 regs on greenhouse gas, MACT & coal ash will cost USA 600 billion

7. Likely a carbon tax will be forced to subsidize the government and “receivers” (Obama supporters) in the total destruction of the coal industry, as early as 2030.

8. All coal companies are performing drastically worse than their CEO’s and boards want to report and this is understandable with their concerns for stock prices/refinancing.

9. Most public companies will not be able to continue to emphasize any positive they had, while avoiding the negatives in their statements and opinions.

10. The markets will soon take away this ability from these public CEO’s/directors

11. Of course private companies will abandon this industry

12. We must prepare for this today and we cannot bleed cash waiting for competitors to be eliminated.

13. We must totally go into survival mode and generate all of the cash that we can from whatever we have left that can help us.

14. We must tear down all structures of Murray Energy and reassemble them.

15. While putting Murray Energy into a survival mode, I will be fighting allegations from radical Obama supporters, that you know are blatantly false and were inspired only to shut down opposition to them on behalf of our employees, your area and our country.

16. We must be passionate and austere in all that we do.

Robert E. Murray

Chairman, President and CEO

My Prayer

Dear Lord:

The American people have made their choice. They have decided America must change its course, away from the principles of our founders….And away from the idea of individual freedom and individual responsibility….Away from capitalism, economic responsibility and personal acceptance.

America is no longer America. We are a country in favor of redistribution, national weakness and reduced standard of living and lower levels of personal freedom.

My regret Lord is that our young people, including those in my own family, never will know what America was like, or could have been. They will pay the price in their reduced standard of living and most especially, reduced freedom.

The takers outvoted the producers. In response to this I have turned to my Bible and in II Peter, Chapter 1 vs. 4-9 it says: “To faith we are to add goodness; to goodness, knowledge; to knowledge, self control, perseverance; to perseverance; godliness; to godliness, kindness; to brotherly kindness, love.

Lord please forgive me and anyone with me in Murray Energy Corporation for the decisions we are now forced to make to preserve the very existence of any enterprises that you have helped us build. We ask for your guidance in this drastic time with the drastic decisions that will be made to have any hope of our survival as an American business enterprise.

Amen

Robert Murray

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24 comments

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seanomelb | Nov 16, 2012, 10:24 PM EST

Alas mman the government has halted all solar rebates as of today.

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Monsoonman | Nov 16, 2012, 08:14 PM EST

Yeah alas, Lad :) Must be coming face to face w/economic reality. If solar/wind really worked and was a competitive alternative, they would need no subsidies, people wd flock to them

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seanomelb | Nov 16, 2012, 07:01 PM EST

Alas! Mman as of today the government has stopped all solar rebates. Probably due to budget pressures.

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Monsoonman | Nov 14, 2012, 07:13 PM EST

When you say "heavily subsidized" in eco freak speak, it really means they get the same business write offs for expenses that any other business gets...

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seanomelb | Nov 14, 2012, 05:35 PM EST

Coal will eventually go the way of "whale oil" but not in the foreseeable future.

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roxane | Nov 14, 2012, 02:46 PM EST

What this article fails to explain is that the prayer was read by Mr. Murray to his staff and then 156 employees were fired. It also fails to mention that the coal industry is heavily subsidized by the US government (so you can call those in the industry "receivers") and is being pushed out by natural gas which is not subsidized. Mr. Murray can't have it both ways. It's not as simple as either being a free market or it isn't. When he gets assistance from the government then cries and fires people (not unlike a toddler throwing a tantrum)when he doesn't like the result it's on him, not the election.

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esatdigiwank | Nov 14, 2012, 07:28 AM EST

So assumedly, the coal industry will be killed off by 2030 because in addition coal sources will have been fully exhausted by then; given that yous are busily exporting it in giant barges across the Pacific to China, India expanding economies.. What exactly am I missing here?

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Monsoonman | Nov 12, 2012, 06:02 PM EST

The circle you describe is a convoluted rate increase Lad. Just like I said originally, someone else is paying for your stuff.

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seanomelb | Nov 12, 2012, 05:06 PM EST

My energy bill was not subsidised because I earn over the threshold Mman.BTW the power co.s pay the tax,the consumer pays the increase and the GOV send out rebates. Everybody shares in the good fortune of a lower emissions target.

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Monsoonman | Nov 12, 2012, 12:11 PM EST

Lets do the math lad: They take money away from your fellow citizens and give you 3k, then they subsidize your energy bills( BC you will ALWAYS need back up real energy. They subsidize the manufacture and installation of "wind towers" with other peoples money, which only partially works when the wind blows at a certain velocity? Sounds like a good deal for the ones on the receiving end of the subsidies...Now if you did all of that w/yr own $, I'd say more power to you

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seanomelb | Nov 12, 2012, 01:27 AM EST

They need more wind towers Mman to create more energy problem solved. large solar energy plants concentrate heat on a central point and manufactures steam which is used to power generators after dark. Where there's a will and a dollar there's a way.Yes the Gov. did subsidise my solar panels I believe about $3,000 dollars..

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Monsoonman | Nov 11, 2012, 07:51 PM EST

There's a remote drinking village I visit on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico to fish, etc. It has lots of wind and solar..All air conditioning/refrigeration/power tools don't work while the place is being powered this way. But when the big diesel generator powers up all is well, AC works/fans turn & sweat fades....People dont realize how much raw power it takes to give them their creature comforts-wind and solar don't cut it.

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Monsoonman | Nov 11, 2012, 07:47 PM EST

Lad how does the solar system work at night? Must you supplement it with fossil fuel power? Does your solar power run refrigeration/Stove/heating/air condtitioning, etc. Additionally did the govt subsidize your solar installation at your residence?...I corrected my typo of 100% wind solar by 2020.

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seanomelb | Nov 11, 2012, 06:11 PM EST

should read 2.4 kW

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seanomelb | Nov 11, 2012, 02:39 AM EST

power is a commodity Mman how it's generated is the argument. I suppose if use gas rather than petrol the car industry would fall apart after all it's only a mode of transport. BTW Australia's carbon tax caused a spike of 10% in energy costs to householders and most householders received a grant from the government to offset the difference. The money came from the carbon tax.It matters not if we attain 100% solar wind energy as I said it's just a commodity and private enterprise will manufacture panels and fit them to roofs. I have .4 K.WT system and a solar hot water(gas boosted) and I drive a Diesel car service and 1500 litre tanks plumbed into the toilets.BTW Mman you misread my post I stated 20% solar/wind by 2020

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