KEY POINTS
- Bob Murray managed coal companies that fought against work safety regulations.
- Murray was featured in an Emmy-winning episode of “Last Week Tonight”
- He has filed for benefits, saying that he is “near death” and requires an oxygen tank
Bob Murray, a coal magnate that fought for years against black lung regulations, has filed for federal benefits to compensate him for the illness.
Murray disputes the characterization that he fought against regulations or benefits, according to West Virginia Public Radio. Murray dropped a suit against HBO’s John Oliver for making similar allegations. Oliver won an Emmy for his “Last Week Tonight” musical episode about Murray.
WVPR reported that Murray has funded groups that lobbied against black lung regulation, denied climate change, and supported Donald Trump’s anti-regulatory positions.
He entered the coal business in the 1950s and rose from being an ordinary miner to running his own companies. Murray said