WASHINGTON-The Trump administration outlined on Monday (29) a coordinated plan to revive mining and burning coal, the largest contributor to climate change in the world.
Coal use has been dramatically decreased in the United States since 2005, being replaced in many cases with cheaper and cleaner natural gas, wind and solar energy.
But in a number of measures to improve the coal economy, the Interior Department announced that it would open 5 million hectares (equivalent to 7 million football fields) from federal land for coal mining and reduce royalties rates that companies need to pay to extract coal. The department of energy said it would offer $ 625 million to modernize existing coal plants in the country, which have been closed quickly to extend its service life.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would revoke dozens of regulations established by the Biden Government to contain the emission of carbon dioxide, mercury and other coal plant pollutants. The agency would also review a standard that limits wastewater pollution from the plants, considered expensive by industry.
In an already familiar scenario, helmets of helmet served as a background while government officials gathered in the interior department and repeated a sentence that President Donald Trump said he expected from any employee who speaks about black and fuel rock: “Clean and beautiful coal.”
The announcements occurred days after Trump told the UN General Assembly that the United States “would be ready to provide any country abundant and accessible supplies, if they need it,” referring to liquefied natural gas, oil and coal. Trump has been promoting the coal industry since he often campaigned with miners in 2016.
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Although coal plants have already generated almost half of American electricity, last year they produced only 16%. Hundreds of coal plants have been deactivated since the mid -2000s, as dealers migrated to natural gas, wind and solar energy. More rigorous regulations on air and water pollution also made the burning of coal more expensive. Coal mining, which has been associated with significant air pollution and water contamination, as well as black pulmonary disease in miners, also faced increasing federal restrictions.
“This is an industry that was under attack,” said Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, who, along with EPA’s administrator Lee Zeldin, blamed the regulations for what they described as an ideological war against coal. Chris Wright, the secretary of energy, said Monday morning on Fox that coal was “out of fashion for Chardonnay people in San Francisco, Boulder, Colorado, and New York.”
The expression “climate change” was not mentioned during the one -hour coal event. Instead, the officers described coal as an economic necessity. “In addition to drilling, baby, perfure, we need to minimize, baby, mine,” said Burgum.
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It is unclear how the Trump government can revitalize the industry. During Trump’s first term, about 100 coal plants were closed, and the total number of miners employed in the US continued to fall.
The perspective for coal energy has become a little less dark in recent years. The growing interest in artificial intelligence and data centers has boosted an increase in demand for electricity, and dealers have decided to maintain more than 50 coal units open beyond closing dates, according to America’s Power, an industry commercial group. As Trump administration looses pollution boundaries for coal energy, more plants can remain open longer or operate more often.
The Trump government is also taking more drastic measures to keep coal plants in operation this time. In June, the Energy Department issued an emergency order to prevent the programmed closure of a coal plant in Michigan, although neither the network operator nor the local concessionaire requested the action. The cost of this extension should fall on consumers.
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Wright indicated that more such orders may be on their way. In total, more than 100 plants announced retirement plans until the end of Trump’s term.
“I think the policy of this government will be to prevent the closure of coal plants, most of them cooperating with the dealers,” Wright said during an interview at the Climate Forward event of The New York Times last week.
In Monday’s announcement, Undersecretary of Energy, said a recent study by the Energy Department concluded that the American power grid would face a higher risk of blackout if many coal plants were retired. This study was criticized by several clean energy groups and states led by Democrats for being overly pessimistic about the ability of other rapidly growing sources such as wind, solar, batteries and natural gas to help strengthen the country’s electrical system.
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Holly Bender, director of programs at Sierra Club, environmental group, said government actions would increase air and water pollution and raise electricity accounts. “The irresponsible actions announced today by the Trump government will hurt the American people, all to support the aged and outdated coal industry,” he said.
Although defending fossil fuels, the government has taken steps to restrict the use of wind and solar energy across the country, criticizing these sources as not reliable and much dependent on climate.
Coal energy has grown in the world, especially in China and other countries. Last year, global coal demand reached a record, according to the International Energy Agency, although the agency expects the demand to stabilize in the coming years.
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Burgum cited this trend as a reason for the United States to invest in coal. “China is absolutely the largest consumer of coal, and is adding more energy aggressively,” he said. “Our country can lead in technology, but if we don’t lead in electric production, we’ll lose AI’s arms race.”
Even burning more coal, China also leads the world in building wind and solar energy. Last week, the country first announced plans to start reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
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