President Donald Trump said he is authorizing his administration to ramp up energy production with “beautiful, clean coal” in an effort to blunt the strides China has made.
Trump’s post to Truth Social on Monday wasn’t clear on what specific authorizations he intended to give, and the White House didn’t elaborate on Tuesday, telling The Hill only that Trump’s post was one of several to come on coal.
“After years of being held captive by Environmental Extremists, Lunatics, Radicals, and Thugs, allowing other Countries, in particular China, to gain tremendous Economic advantage over us by opening up hundreds of all Coal Fire Power Plants, I am authorizing my Administration to immediately begin producing Energy with BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL,” Trump said in the post.
Trump’s post came days after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, “We’ve got to keep every coal plant open.” Likewise, Energy Secretary Chris Wright this month said the Trump administration was working on a “market-based” plan to slow the closing of coal-fired power plants; 120 are scheduled to shut down over the next five years.
Trump on Jan. 20 signed an executive order declaring a national energy emergency and ordering federal departments and agencies “to facilitate the identification, leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy resources.”
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin last week announced 31 environmental rollbacks to former President Joe Biden’s green policies, calling the moves "the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history.”
One in particular takes aim at Biden’s 2024 rule requiring coal-fired plants to eliminate carbon emissions or commit to closing.
“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” Zeldin said in the announcement.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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