Posted on 04/19/2025 8:20:21 PM PDT by Red Badger
Within the first months of his second administration, President Donald Trump has prioritized “unleashing” American energy and has already axed several of what he considers to be burdensome regulations on the coal industry, promising it’s “reinvigoration.”
Trump signed an executive order on April 8 to revive the coal industry, and shortly after moved to exempt several coal plants from Biden-era regulations. Though it has become a primary target of many climate activists, coal has been historically regarded as readily available and affordable, and several energy policy experts who spoke with Daily Caller News Foundation believe Trump has the cards necessary to strengthen the industry.
“When utility bills are skyrocketing or blackouts are happening in winter, people are going to want reliable power back,” Amy Cooke, co-founder and president of Always on Energy Research and the director of the Energy and Environmental Policy Center told the DCNF. “The beauty of coal is that it allows for affordable, reliable power, which is absolutely crucial to economic prosperity, and in particular, innovation.”
“I think the number one, most significant threat to humanity is no power,” Cooke said, adding that coal is a vital contributor to the nation’s “baseload power.”
Following his executive order, Trump in early April granted a two-year exemption for nearly 70 coal plants from a Biden-era rule on air pollution that required them to reduce certain air pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that the move would “bolster coal-fired electricity generation, ensuring that our nation’s grid is reliable, that electricity is affordable for the American people, and that EPA is helping to promote our nation’s energy security.”
Shortly after, skepticism swirled surrounding whether or not the coal industry would be able to experience a revival, and whether it would be economically savvy to pursue one.
Energy generated from burning coal only powers roughly 16% of the U.S., though 40 states are dependent on coal, according to data from America’s Power. Energy generation through coal reached a record low in 2023, a Rhodium Group study reported. In 2021, however, coal was the primary source of energy for 15 states, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
“We can lead the world in innovation,” Cook told the DCNF, referencing developments in natural gas and nuclear power as beneficial. “But you have to have coal. It has to be part of the mix.”
“It’s insane that we would shut down any base load power right now, when the demand for power is so high,” Cooke added. She further referenced the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s 2024 report and research from Always on Energy Research that have projected rolling blackouts to begin across the U.S. by 2028.
As American energy demand continues to climb, the odds of impending blackouts would increase if the supply fails to grow at the same rate. The push toward renewable energy sources, in addition to stringent environmental regulations approved under former President Joe Biden, may have contributed to the slower growth of energy supply currently being experienced in the U.S. (RELATED: A Major Backer Of Green Energy Admits Again That Solar And Wind Power Alone ‘Can’t Reliably Keep The Lights On’)
Immediately after returning to the White House, Trump declared a national energy emergency, stating that “the integrity and expansion of our Nation’s energy infrastructure” is “an immediate and pressing priority for the protection of the United States’ national and economic security.”
“We looked at it and predict that there will be periods of blackouts of 24 hours or more,” Cook told the DCNF.
She further noted that “the cheapest power is the power you’ve already paid for,” arguing for the continuation of existing coal plants and the reopening of ones that have been closed.
“The only people who think coal is bad are those who view it through the lens of carbon emissions only, and that is no way to do energy policy,” Cooke said, arguing that it is necessary to adopt a “holistic” approach to energy generation, given the nation’s projected energy crisis.
“The American people need more energy, and the Department of Energy is helping to meet this demand by unleashing supply of affordable, reliable, secure energy sources – including coal,” Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an April 9 statement. “Coal is essential for generating 24/7 electricity,” he added, “but misguided policies from previous administrations have stifled this critical American industry. With President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting the red tape and bringing back common sense.”
The president has also said that he envisions greater job opportunities for coal miners with the industry’s expansion, stating during an April 8 press conference that the workers are “really well-deserving and great American patriots.”
“For years, people would just bemoan this industry and decimate the industry for absolutely no reason,” Trump added.
“Miners can wake up today for the first time in a decade and their spouses and families will realize they have a job tomorrow,” reporter Bob Aaron said in a video shared on X. They can “hear a president of the country announce that the war on coal is over.”
“I really anticipate a revival in the coal industry in the United States under Trump,” David Blackmon, an energy and policy writer who spent 40 years in the oil and gas business told the DCNF. He pointed to the Trump administration loosening restrictions on coal, adding that the Biden administration made it “near impossible” to build new coal plants due to aggressive climate rules.
Under Biden’s signature climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. prioritized renewable energy generation and subsidization, resulting in a hefty price tag for taxpayers who had to foot the bill for several environmental initiatives, including hundreds of millions of dollars for solar panel construction in some of the nation’s least-sunny locations.
“The cheapest, the most affordable thing to do is to keep our current infrastructure online,” André Béliveau, Senior Manager of Energy Policy at the Commonwealth Foundation, told the DCNF. “Coal remains one of, if not, the most affordable energy source we have.”
“You’re forcing retirement of full-time energy sources and trying to replace them with part-time energy sources, and that’s not going to work,” Béliveau continued, referencing renewable energy avenues such as wind and solar. “We can’t run a full-time economy on part-time energy.”
The Department of Energy did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. The White House referred the DCNF to its fact sheet summarizing the president’s April 8 executive order.
Just in time for the age of graphene and carbon fiber.
Anyone live near St.Clair Michigan? There used to be 2 Coal fired power stations running up there on the St Clair River.
One, has the covered conveyer belts bridged over Jefferson(river drive)or might be Gratiot up that far. Are those plants still there or did they tear them down?
Do you think they will fire back up with the coal restrictions lifted??
YES!!! Yes yes yes yes YES!!!!
you have a lot of catching up to do!
World Population Review: Number of Coal Power Plants by Country 2025
#1 China: 3,168 in operation 2024; 289 under construction 2024; 405 in pre-construction 2024
#3 U.S.A.: 408 in operation 2024; 2 in pre-construction 2024
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/number-of-coal-power-plants-by-country
1 April: Power Mag: China Coal-Fired Generation Additions Tied to Economics, Energy Security
by Darrell Proctor, Senior Editor
A February report from Europe’s Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), and the U.S.-based Global Energy Monitor (GEM), said China began building 94.5 GW of new coal-fired generation capacity in 2024, the most in any year since 2015. The report said work resumed on another 3.3 GW of generation capacity projects that had been suspended. The groups’ research noted that “Instead of replacing coal, clean energy is being layered on top of an entrenched reliance on fossil fuels,” adding that “A substantial number of new plants will come online in the next 2–3 years, further solidifying coal’s role in the power system.”...
The continued buildout of coal-fired generation is seemingly at odds with declarations from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who a few years ago said his country—which receives more than half its power generation from coal—would look to peak its carbon emissions in 2030, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The report from the two research groups said China accounted for 93% of all construction starts for coal-fired power plants (Figure 1) worldwide last year...
China’s coal mines last year boosted production to record highs, and the country also continues as the world’s leading importer and consumer of coal. The country last year extended its lead in imports over India, the second-largest buyer of coal, to the widest margin since at least 2013, according to industry data. Chinese coal imports reached a record 542.7 million metric tons in 2024, according to customs data, or more than twice as much as the 250.2 million tons imported by India. Data showed that India’s imports of thermal coal, primarily used for power generation, dropped about 3% in 2024. China’s imports of thermal coal, meanwhile, rose about 13%...
Brad Kuntz, senior managing director at Stax Consulting, said, “China’s energy output has doubled since 2011, driven primarily by ongoing industrialization. This growth contrasts with major economies like Japan, Germany, and the U.S., where energy output has remained flat or declined over the same period...
The country also has about 140 billion tons of coal available for mining, meaning production and consumption of the fuel is key for the economy...
Mongolian officials recently said that country plans to increase its coal exports to China by nearly 20% in 2025. A new cross-border rail link between the countries will support those exports. Australia also has increased its exports of coal to China, and Indonesia is expected to remain the top exporter, providing more than half of China’s imports of the fuel.
https://www.powermag.com/china-coal-fired-generation-additions-tied-to-economics-energy-security/
We can only hope!
I can dig it
Coal’s future looked pretty black for a while there.
GOOD!
Coal energy is cleaner than ever what with the new technology to deal with emissions.
We have to use ALL sources of energy. It’s called wisdom.
I work in the industry. No way will DTE start up retired coal plants, because although the Federal Government is removing road blocks to coal, the State government (Whitmer/Democrats) has control of approving the generation mix that state utilities will use to meet demand. They will never approve coal. Other coal friendly states, however will approve keeping soon yo be retired plants on line and possibly bringing back recently retired plants.
I guess its better to buy from Canada’s Coal fired plants!!??
The power available in the Detroit\Great Lakes region likely is from hydro. If your someplace else, then there may be a coal source. The Canadians I know refer to electricity as hydro.
btt!
Canada is even crazier than we are in hating coal. They have a lot of gas plants, nuclear plants, and alot of hydro plants (running water from a reservoir to spin turbines). They are refurbishing even more nuclear plants that will be on line in about 3 years. And of course putting up stupid wind and solar plants all over the place. Michigan relies on a lot of gas fired plants, and is actually working on starting up the Palisades nuclear plant in South Haven that was shut down 2 years ago….aaaaaand putting up significant capacity of stupid wind and solar plants.
The southeast coastline of Lake St. Clair(Canada) is a littered eyesore of windmills visible on clearer days for miles. I see them every time out on my boat!! ...and dude... I know what hydroelectric power is! lol....
No disrespect intended on explanation of hydro, sit-rep. Just figured some readers may not know that.
I forgot to mention the Canadians who call electricity hydro all lived in the Great Lakes or areas where rapid flowing water could be used to turn turbines.
i do the same thing sometimes but that was teetering on the edge lol...
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