The plan would create an Environmental Protection Agency rule that repeals a 2009 declaration known as the "endangerment finding."
Coal has been on the way out for a decade now. The industry's future was considered mainly dead and buried -- until the Trump administration decided to dig it out of the grave.
But the coal industry does not have the economics to survive intense competition from less expensive alternatives.
President Donald Trump's efforts to revive coal will cost the U.S. time and money we can't afford to waste, driving up energy costs for Americans and leaving the mining communities behind.
We should not be reaching backward for solutions to our energy supply.
Coal consumption for electricity has been in a steady decline in the United States since at least 2008 because of cheaper natural gas and renewable energy. Coal plants generated only 15% of electricity in 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That's down from 19% in 2020 and 51% in 2001.
People are also reading... UPDATE: Coroner says Hudson man drowned at Clinton Lake Man died at Clinton Lake Saturday, coroner says Van-bike crash injures rider, shuts downtown Bloomington streets Man detained on gun charges after standoff in El Paso Police arrest man transporting 80 pounds of cocaine on I-74 in Bloomington McLean County man nets 60 years across two cases for possessing child sex abuse images McLean County man detained on 20 charges involving images depicting sexual abuse of minors Normal man gets 30 months probation for battering a hospital security guard Red hot Brandon Holtz sails to Medal Play championship Update: Woman reported missing in Bloomington found safe Victims' rights group criticizes Normal police Plans for new Bloomington subdivision move forward Flick Fact: Was Lexington, Illinois, once the marijuana capital of the U.S? Flick Fact: Who individually financed that Lincoln bench in downtown Bloomington? LeRoy brothers detained in the McLean County Jail, accused of burglarizing a residence
Based on research from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, coal is expected to continue its steady decline for the remainder of the decade. The institute estimates that by 2030, 63% of the peak total of coal-fired capacity will be closed, and it's possible that all remaining coal capacity still online at that point may be shuttered by 2040.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts
Coal is still important to America's energy needs soar | Syd Peng
Coal isn't disappearing. Its use globally hit a record last year. Since the turn of the century, coal demand has doubled.
Arguments about coal being economically profitable are no longer applicable. Coal plants and mines are usually decades old. They're high polluters, and they're not making a profit. A study from Energy Innovation Policy and Technology finds that 99% of coal plants are more expensive to run than to replace with solar or wind energy. The median cost of new solar projects is $24 per megawatt-hour compared to a median marginal cost of $36 for the operations of existing coal plants, according to the study.
What's more, this is an industry that, on its way out, has prioritized taking care of its CEOs, not its workers. As major coal companies filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and 2016, executives got massive compensation increases while workers were laid off and employee benefits were slashed.
Coal mining and power production also poses risk to public health, the environment and climate. About 40% of the world's carbon emissions from fossil fuel came from coal in 2022, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
The Trump administration has moved to block permits for wind and solar development and terminated federal clean energy investments. It is trying to subsidize and revive the dying coal industry. In April, Trump signed an executive order aimed at opening federal lands to coal leasing and extending the operating life of coal plants across the country. He also added coal to his list of "critical minerals" and has used his "energy emergency" as an excuse to push through new mines.
Congress this summer enacted a costly taxpayer subsidy for coal mining as part of its budget bill that cut health care and clean energy investments. This attempt to prop up coal will come at the expense of people who have to pay higher electricity bills.
Coal's decline was a problem of economics, and its revival only works if Americans are willing to pay more for less. By trying to bring back the coal industry, this administration is fighting the free markets that have shifted away from expensive and polluting coal plants in favor of cheaper, cleaner energy sources.
The Trump administration's unwavering commitment to fossil fuels threatens to make energy costs higher for Americans while continuing to ignore solutions to energy independence.
The United States should let facts and economic realities take care of coal. What we need to focus on is affordable, abundant and clean energy sources.
Rowland-Shea is the director of public lands at the Center for American Progress. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.
Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Catch the latest in Opinion
Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.