Tuesday, June 6, 2017

US EPA's anti-environment chief spews fake coal jobs 'facts'

When those who allege "fake news" create it themselves using fake facts.

Bad enough that Trump named leading climate change denier Scott Pruitt to run the US Environmental Protection Agency,
Scott Pruitt, EPA official portrait (cropped).jpg
but it's further worrying that the former Oklahoma Attorney General affirmed his propensity for lying first demonstrated at his confirmation hearing by repeatedly lying about US coal jobs in an industry Trump has begun to deregulate.

See the pattern? Deny the facts of climate change, then make up 'facts' about growth in one of the energy sectors directly responsible for the greenhouse gas pollution that contributes to a warming planet.

Appointed by a President who claims to be fighting against "fake news."

Pruitt claimed several times, and as recently on last Sunday's morning newsmaker shows, that there are around 50,000 new coal industry jobs while data show there are a rather steady 50,000 or so coal mining jobs, total, now new, as the Washington Post explains:
On “Meet the Press,” Pruitt flatly stated that almost 50,000 jobs have been added in the coal sector. 
Many readers asked about this claim, noting that there are only about 50,000 jobs in coal. Here’s the Bureau of Labor Statistics data on coal jobs. As you can see, it has been in a tight range for months, with a slight gain.

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