Because that’s where the cheap energy is.
Vivat Rex.
Another thing to consider..where is the concern for the physical safety of Americans?
Using abundant coal, transported safely by TRAIN to the point of use, is preferable, to me, than shipping millions of barrels of OIL by trains and by trucks.
A derailment of a coal bearing train makes one hell of a mess along a limited distance of track.
We have seen , sadly, the result of the derailment of an OIL bearing collection of tanker rail cars. Same with accidents involving fuel carrying trucks.
What will be the next city/town to be burned out as 50 fuel carrying railroad cars crash? What about the people caught in the inferno?
Anyone who’s taken a minute to see where electricity comes from has always known the silliness of this argument
“Just look at China, where the country’s double-digit economic growth has largely been fueled by coal, which fulfills 60 percent of its energy mix.”
Its usually between 65%-70% on the MISO grid.
https://www.misoenergy.org/MarketsOperations/RealTimeMarketData/Pages/FuelMix.aspx
Price map;
https://www.misoenergy.org/LMPContourMap/MISO_All.html
All coal fired plants near me here inn SW Pennsylvania. Railroad tracks full of coal cars pull right into the plant. In my latest electric bill it stated that out rates will increase by 14% in October!!