Trump Says He’s Authorizing Use of Coal For Energy Production
The Trump Administration’s rollbacks on green energy
Donald Trump announced plans this week to boost the use of coal power. He hopes this would counter China’s economic growth. Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. coal industry was being “held captive.” He blamed “environmental extremists” for this situation. Trump argued that this had let China gain an edge over the U.S.. China, he noted, had opened many coal-fired power plants. China’s construction of coal-fired power plants reached its highest level in a decade last year, according to a report by the Finland-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air released on Feb. 13. The report states that China constructed 94.5 gigawatts of coal-fired power plants last year, the highest volume of new builds since 2015.
Trump said he would authorize his administration to act. He wants to “immediately begin producing energy with BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL.” He didn’t share details on how this would work just yet. Environmental groups have long opposed coal power due to pollution claiming that burning coal releases harmful pollutants. Increasing U.S. coal production could create jobs. Trump’s focus on “clean coal” could suggest to some a focus on carbon capture technologies. These technologies aim to reduce emissions from coal plants. Trump’s pledge signals a return to policies favouring fossil fuels. The move would mark a major reversal in U.S. environmental policy, as the country has shifted away from coal, which was its primary fuel for electricity generation in the 2000s, toward lower-cost alternatives such as natural gas and renewable energy. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration as of 2023, coal made up about 15 percent of the power generated in the United States, a significant decline from 51 percent in 2000.
Pres. Trump’s several executive orders against climate change
President Trump acted quickly after his inauguration on January 20 by signing an executive order for federal agencies to check energy rules. The order focused on rules that limited domestic energy sources. Coal, hydropower, and nuclear energy being key. Trump declared a national energy emergency. He wanted to speed up energy infrastructure growth. Trump’s order stated that regulations were a problem. He said these rules hurt energy development. The rules also limited affordable power, cut jobs, and raised energy costs for Americans. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans on March 12 that would roll back many environmental rules. Zeldin called it the “largest deregulatory announcement” in U.S. history. The EPA targeted rules from the Obama and Biden years. They claimed these rules cost “trillions.” One key target was the “Clean Power Plan 2.0” on power plant emissions. Joe Biden said, “No one is going to build another coal plant in America.” This week, the Trump Administration approved the expansion of one of the nation’s biggest coal mines.
The Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan aimed to cut power plant carbon emissions. It pushed states to shift to renewable energy. However, the plan raised electricity prices and it threatened grid reliability. The Trump administration see the Clean Power Plan as an overreach by the EPA. Scrapping the plan was a priority for the Trump administration. They wanted to boost coal production and energy independence. The EPA’s actions reflected this policy shift. They aimed to undo what they saw as harmful regulations. The goal was to unleash American energy resources.
Towns And States Don’t Want Green Energy
Trump Administration actions to scale back renewable energy capture headlines, but citizens are also pushing back. Efforts to deploy wind and solar systems face a rising tide of opposition in towns, counties, and states. Mandates for electric vehicles and electric home appliances are being challenged. The combination of rising local opposition and Trump funding cuts threatens to end the transition to green energy. The green energy revolution in the United States has run almost unopposed for the last two decades. Driven by the fear of human-caused global warming, federal regulators enacted an expanding array of incentives for renewables in the form of mandates, tax credits, loans, and subsidies. States added incentives to push for the adoption of wind, solar, electric vehicles, heat pumps, green hydrogen, and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture systems. Twenty-three states have laws or executive orders requiring Net Zero electricity by 2050. Power companies have been forced to comply with state mandates. Since 2000, wind and solar have grown from near zero to about 16% of US power generation in 2024, wind (10.5%) and solar (5.1%).
Trump: “We are destroying our country with this green stuff”
Twenty-two states have electric vehicle (EV) mandates, requiring all sales of new cars to be EVs by a future date, such as 2035. Tightening CO2 emission standards from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) force manufacturers to sell an increasing share of EVs. Plug-in EV sales grew from zero two decades ago to 8% last year. Climate policy advocates want homeowners to switch from natural gas and propane appliances to heat pumps and other electric appliances. In 2019, Berkeley, California became the first city to prohibit natural gas in new residential construction. Cities and counties in seven states now ban gas in new construction, including a statewide ban in New York. The wave of renewable energy programs promoted and subsidized included electric vehicle charging stations, CO2 pipelines, and green hydrogen production facilities. But it’s becoming clear that many towns, counties, and states no longer support the green energy movement. A rising tide of opposition threatens the deployment of renewables.
Towns And States Don’t Want Green Energy
Last month, the State House of Arizona passed legislation that would prohibit construction of wind systems on more than 90% of state land. The legislation would force new wind projects to be at least 12 miles from any residential property. The bill is being considered in the Arizona Senate. Oklahoma is the third largest generator of electricity from wind in the US. But attendees at recent rallies at the state capitol call for bans on new wind and solar projects. Local residents voice economic, environmental, and health concerns about renewable systems. The opposition to wind and solar has been growing for more than a decade and recently accelerating. In 2009, North Carolina banned new wind projects in 23 counties. Kentucky enacted an effective statewide ban on new wind construction in 2014. Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee, and Vermont have established bans which are effectively statewide. Listen trump speaking to the WEF
A 2023 study by USA Today found that the number of counties in the US with wind turbine restrictions or bans rose from two in 2008 to 411 in 2023. The number of blocking counties rose to over 500 in 2024 with Florida’s ban on wind systems offshore and within one mile of the coast. About 16% of US counties now ban or restrict wind systems. More than 100 counties restrict the deployment of solar systems. The number of counties that ban wind or solar is rising faster than counties which are deploying wind or solar for the first time. Journalist Robert Bryce has developed a Renewable Rejection Database. The database shows a cumulative total of 800 of wind and solar project rejections in the US since 2015. It shows a rising trend in rejections, including an especially large jump in solar rejections in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Rising opposition to wind and solar projects
There are many reasons for rising opposition to wind and solar projects. Towns are concerned with the aesthetic impact of 600-foot-high turbine towers and acres of solar panels, the loss of farmland to sprawling wind and solar systems, low-frequency noise from wind turbines, and the impact on nearby property values. Retiring systems generate vast quantities of turbine blade and solar panel waste that fill up local landfills or must be shipped to landfills in other states. Wind and solar require more than 100 times the land compared to coal, gas, or nuclear power generators for the same average electricity output. While traditional power plants are usually located near cities, utility-scale wind and solar systems are spread over wide areas, often on ridge lines and located far from population centers. Therefore, renewables require long transmission lines and two or three times the transmission towers compared to conventional power plants. Residents often oppose the construction of new transmission as well.
Some states have decided to overrule local opposition to wind and solar. A 2023 Illinois state law overruled restrictions or bans on wind and solar established by more than half of state counties. A 2023 Michigan state law also overruled local opposition from more than 20 counties. Local opposition can be bypassed in seven other states. In 2024, electric vehicle sales grew only 7% in the US. California and ten other states currently mandate that 35% of new car sales must be EVs in the 2026 model year. With slowing consumer adoption of EVs, these goals are impossible for all states except California. At the end of 2024, Virginia cancelled their EV mandate. Look for other states to cancel as well. As we mentioned, cities and counties in seven states have banned gas appliances in new construction, but in the last five years, 24 states enacted regulations prohibiting city and county bans on gas appliances. Most states want citizens and businesses to be able to choose the home energy that they prefer.
The Trump Administration’s rollbacks on green energy
Utilities are rethinking plans for renewable electricity. The artificial intelligence revolution may require Texas, Virginia, and other states to double power generating capacity within the next decade. Wind and solar systems can’t meet this demand. Nuclear plants are being restarted, coal plant closings are being postponed, and more than 200 gas-fired power plants are in planning or under construction. Carbon dioxide capture and green hydrogen projects are also being challenged. South Dakota just signed a law prohibiting the use of eminent domain to seize land for CO2 pipelines. CO2 capture projects in Louisiana face severe local opposition. And regional green hydrogen hubs are sure to be opposed. With Trump funding cuts and escalating local opposition to renewables, 2025 may be the beginning of the end of the green energy transition in the United States.
Written By Tatenda Belle Panashe
