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[Beefy]

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Navy SEAL commander and a proponent of coal development on federal lands, as his choice for secretary of the interior.

If the Senate confirms Zinke, a Republican, to lead the Interior Department, he will head an agency that employs more than 70,000 people across the country and oversees more than 20 percent of federal land, including national parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite.

As a single-term U.S. representative, Zinke took several stances favoring coal, a fossil fuel that suffered during the administration of President Barack Obama as development of natural gas and renewable energy soared.

Zinke, 55, pushed to end a moratorium on federal coal leases on public lands by 2019, saying it had resulted in closed mines and job cuts.

He also helped introduce a bill expanding tax credits for coal-burning power plants that bury carbon dioxide emissions underground to fight climate change, a measure supported by coal interests and some moderate environmental groups. In introducing the bill, Zinke said he wanted to keep "coal, oil and gas communities viable for generations to come."

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...9f62&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Send me to the coal mines if old

 

[Host Samurai]

Oh for fucks sake

 

[yanipheonu]

In introducing the bill, Zinke said he wanted to keep "coal, oil and gas communities viable for generations

"I want to make sure this rotting albatross remains around our necks for years to come."

 

[studyguy]

RIP our national parks

 

[dskillzhtown]

What is up with Trump's obsession with coal?

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Hey his name sounds like zinc, so it makes sense to make him the right guy to handle mineral rights

 

[Psychoward]

Congrats to rapidly speeding up the end of our world.

 

[WedgeX]

How damn far the GOP has fallen.

 

[mreddie]

What is up with Trump's obsession with coal?

Coal mines got hit hard with Obama favoring natural gas, solar, wind. Clean energy.

Coal is of course not that. Coal is seen as a working man's energy source.

 

[Laevateinn]

It feels like Trump sent out surveys to left-wing and environmentalist groups with the question "Dear loser, who would be the worst possible choice for ____ position?"

 

[davepoobond]

How damn far the GOP has fallen.

They look at that image now and think "look at all the coal"

 

[Rebel Leader]

Rural people and their fucking coal

 

[crowphoenix]

Man, I can't wait to declare war on the environment.

 

[Omegasquash]

Trump certainly appears to be living up to his promises to increase coal usage. It's sad that these people have no sense of posterity. It's their children and grandchildren that are going to spit on their graves (and ours, to be fair) for being lead-footed with this kind of policy.

I feel like they're digging the mine that will be the tomb for future generations and saying that they're doing us a favor. That's a little dramatic sure, but it's how I feel.

 

[RuGalz]

Let's go back to coal mining while everyone else tries to move forward!

 

[Dreez]

People with no degrees about to have their $90K+ jobs back.

 

[yanipheonu]

"With our Fully Unhindered Consent for Drilling Bill, the untapped potential of our national parks will be given to our economy!

Together, we can make sure our Parks are FUCD!"

 

[Tempy]

Coal is a dead end. Convert those coal towns to something else.

 

[Ourobolus]

Coal is a dead end. Convert those coal towns to something else.

Yeah, they don't understand that. Their money is in coal and oil and therefore any progress on the renewable energy front is a threat to their cash stores.

 

[Psychoward]

People with no degrees about to have their $90K+ jobs back.

Lol in their dreams


Maybe for a few years before it dries out again while fucking up the environment in the process

 

[acheron_xl]

What is up with Trump's obsession with coal?

This guy is also a former seal, so it overlaps nicely with his obsession with surrounding himself with ex-military.

 

[marrec]

Going by his other picks I assume that Zinke's platform in the past has been shutting down the Interior Department?

 

[Steejee]

Lol in their dreams


Maybe for a few years before it dries out again while fucking up the environment in the process

Won't even get those few years unless we subsidize the crap out of coal. Just subsidizing 'clean' coal wouldn't be enough.

 

[yanipheonu]

Yeah, they don't understand that. Their money is in coal and oil and therefore any progress on the renewable energy front is a threat to their cash stores.

"The free market decides everything! Unless it inconveniences me."

 

[TylerD]

Well, at least it wasn't a oil/natural gas exec or Mary Fallin and he seems to be for keeping public lands public (good!) BUT raping them of fossil fuel resources (bad!)?

Sad it's come to this.

 

[darkwing]

the hits keeps on coming

 

[mike6467]

Won't even get those few years unless we subsidize the crap out of coal. Just subsidizing 'clean' coal wouldn't be enough.

This was the state of things before Obama though. Lots of people loved to shit on renewables for being subsidized 10-15 years ago, without realizing how much was going towards fossil fuels. Solar is getting cheaper and significantly more efficient, but people building these plants go where the money is (or because they're forced to meet minimum renewable generation requirementsthat have been put in place).

People say coal is dead, but with the right incentives and policy, we'll be right back where we were. Based on who's calling the shots, I have little faith they won't subsidize the crap out of coal and/or get rid of those renewable targets entirely.

Edit: Look at Texas banning local bans on fracking.

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

At this point my only hope is that aliens come down and save us from ourselves.

 

[HammerOfThor]

How damn far the GOP has fallen.

where was this picture taken?

 

[PhoenixDawn]

RIP national parks, they're going to exploited to their fullest extent for resources that we don't even need until they're destroyed and we have no beautiful places left.

 

[Htown]

I just keeps getting worse.

I can't deal with this shit.

 

[Mariolee]

Has his cabinet won worst cabinet ever in the history of the U.S. yet?

 

[Omegasquash]

People with no degrees about to have their $90K+ jobs back.

I am as anti-coal as they come, however this kinda comes off as elitist. Mining is hard work, there are considerable risks, and the health impact is an always looming threat.

You shouldn't have to have a degree to earn a good wage.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but it's statements like this that push voters further away.

 

[Angelus Errare]

I always find it ironic, and hilarious that republicans will cry about liberals and their "entitlement" of wanting higher minimum wage among other things. But for some reason demand the federal government give them their old jobs back at their old pay.

Okay.

Rural people and their fucking coal

Funny thing is you ask any coal miner and they'll flat out tell you they would never wish it upon their children. Also funny is the healthcare issues associated with coal mining is going to fuck them when they get rid of Obamacare.

 

[WedgeX]

where was this picture taken?

Glacier Point, Yosemite.

 

[Vegetable Lasagna]

What is up with Trump's obsession with coal?

Besides the free votes from playing on the fears of workers in a clearly dying industry? shrug.

 

[Pyrokai]

Can they really destroy our national parks?

Omg, I just can't anymore..........

 

[Mr. Giggles]

BRING BACK COAL MINING, REPEAL OBAMACARE

....

its like they want to kill themselves

But what happens when coal mines automate?

 

[DedValve]

BRING BACK COAL MINING, REPEAL OBAMACARE

....

its like they want to kill themselves

But what happens when coal mines automate?

You think we'll go full circle?

As automation becomes more and more prevalent the Republican party realizes that its unsustainable and in an effort to quell the onslaught they try to be more inclusive and open towards all humans as they see that paid humans work better for the current economy than robots.

Republican party will then become a party for the people.

That would require the Republicans to have a soul so don't let my impossible fantasy get in the way.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

*hands raise up*

What's next?

 

[Mr. Giggles]

You think we'll go full circle?

As automation becomes more and more prevalent the Republican party realizes that its unsustainable and in an effort to quell the onslaught they try to be more inclusive and open towards all humans as they see that paid humans work better for the current economy than robots.

Republican party will then become a party for the people.

That would require the Republicans to have a soul so don't let my impossible fantasy get in the way.

That's one theory...

Or you know, blame those dirty democrats

 

[tearsintherain]

Can they really destroy our national parks?

Omg, I just can't anymore..........

do you think coal mines are in national parks?

 

[jmood88]

Meanwhile, unreasonable liberals swore that Trump wouldn't be all that bad compared to Hillary.

 

[Psychoward]

do you think coal mines are in national parks?

While they aren't by promoting coal they're indirectly destroying the parks as it speeds climate change up. That being said though if you're looking for a direct negative I wouldn't doubt someone like that would vastly cut back on park services and square feet of reserved land.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

do you think coal mines are in national parks?

Do you really think he's talking about where coal mines are now

What a minute you're a Trump voter, you don't think

If federal lands are up for grabs they'll be able to destroy them more easily while looking for coal even if it isn't there

 

[His Majesty]

please go away with your fossil fuels

 

[Do Better]

BRING BACK COAL MINING, REPEAL OBAMACARE

....

its like they want to kill themselves

But what happens when coal mines automate?

Blame the elitist left for inventing robots to take their jobs away.

 

[digdug2k]

Can they really destroy our national parks?

Omg, I just can't anymore..........

Heh. Remember when Obama shut down the WW2 memorial in DC for a day because they couldn't pay anyone to staff it? Now we can keep it open 24/7-365, pumping glorious oil straight into the white house.

 

[Fuchsdh]

This guy is basically the best choice Trump has made. For all the people who think he's going to destroy parks to put in coal, it's a much better alternative to giving that land back to the states who can't manage the parks, and will then let private companies buy it up and do whatever with it... and Zinke's an outdoorsman from a state that depends on national park tourism, so he's vociferously against it (and against party lines as a result.)

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/...hunter-and-outdoorsman-zinke-to-lead-interior

Don't get me wrong, he's not the guy I'd pick, but he's probably the least damaging guy in the cabinet at this point.

Short and sweet of it: better this guy, and we keep our national parks, then some party-line idiot who will sell off land that the public will never see again.

 

[Trojita]

Growing up with the little time so far I've had on this Earth, I noticed early on that coal mining jobs fucking suck, are ridiculously hard work, disastrous on the body of the worker with no care by profiteers, dangerous as fuck, and something most people from a generation ago weren't wishing on their kids.

I won't deny the federal effect. It's cheaper to switch to gas than try and upgrade the old coal plants to meet emission standards. The little black rock is awful for the environment.

China has a massive amount of coal that dwarfs our own reserves and have exploitable labor to mine it cheaply.