Ahead of series of looming bankruptcies, the big coal lobby spent millions to influence U.S. lawmakers

Bloomberg has an indictment for you: Five coal-mining companies spent $95 million to lobby U.S. lawmakers and more than half a billion dollars on salaries for top executives in the decade before they filed for bankruptcy, according to a report by an environmental group. At the same time, the companies — Walter Energy Inc., Patriot Coal…

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