Apparently this is old news, but today I learned that the entire coal industry employs fewer people (~76,000 in 2017) than Arby’s (~80,000 in 2017). As of today, August 26th, 2018, an additional 40 coal power plants have closed this year, further lowering coal industry employment numbers. As far as I’m aware, Arby’s continues to do good business.
Can you imagine if the employees of Arby’s had as much political influence as the coal industry currently does? The Trump administration would be bending over backwards to support the sale of Arby’s delicious meats. Instead of supporting coal, the country would gain much more by supporting teachers (~3.6 million), nurses (~2.9 million), or home care workers (elderly care).
The entire coal industry employs fewer people than Arby’s [The Washington Post]
Related to the factoid above, the Trump Administration recently released its proposal to replace the Clean Power Plan. This new plan, called the Affordable Clean Energy Proposal, is designed to significantly ease regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. If implemented, the EPA’s own calculations state that the change to regulations will lead to the premature deaths of up to 1,400 people and 48,000 new cases of asthma every year. Not total. Each and every year.
EPA analysis of its own new climate proposal: thousands of people will die [Vox]
I have never wanted to be involved in the coal industry, but it sure must feel nice to have the amount of support shown by the Trump administration