Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray claims he told Trump that without the White House invoking an obscure emergency order to protect coal-fired power plants, he would have to lay off more than 6,500 miners.

Murray Energy and FirstEnergy executives met with Trump in late July and early August to ask the administration to provide an emergency order to keep the facilities open—an order the companies said is needed to help them avoid bankruptcy.

The Energy Department says it considered issuing the order sought by companies seeking relief for plants it says are overburdened by environmental rules and market stresses. But the department ultimately ruled it was unnecessary, and the White House agree

DOE officials rejected the repeated urgings of Murray Energy and its outspoken CEO to invoke emergency authority to avoid further closures of coal plants, despite what Murray said were promises by President Donald Trump to take the action.

Coal magnate Robert Murray has just joined Wall Street billionaire Carl Icahn in an exclusive club — wealthy backers of President Donald Trump who tried and failed to get lucrative concessions from his administration.

The Trump administration has rejected a frantic cry for help from coal executives requesting an emergency order that would protect coal-fired power plants from being closed.