- President Donald Trump signed an executive order unleashing the U.S. coal industry.
- The order upends a federal moratorium on federal coal leasing and will delay the closure of some power plants.
- Coal is a staple of Utah's electrical generation, although it has been declining in the past few years.
Coal rich states and the U.S. Department of Interior welcomed the news of President Donald Trump’s executive order on Tuesday to delay closure of some coal-fired power plants and end the federal moratorium on coal leases.
“The Golden Age is here, and we are starting to ‘mine, baby, mine’ for clean American coal,” said Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
“Interior is unlocking America’s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America’s natural resources and innovation.”
In support of the Trump administration’s pursuit of “Energy Dominance,” the department is actively working to revitalize the coal mining industry through a series of actions.
It will expand access to coal reserves, such as the recent approval of the Spring Creek mine expansion in Montana. It plans to streamline permitting processes by removing regulatory barriers that the department says have undermined American coal production.
Coal remains a component of the U.S. energy portfolio and in Utah, according to the Energy Information Administration, the state derives 46% of its net electricity generation from coal. That is down from 75% in 2015.
The Interior Department will officially end its moratorium on federal coal leasing, invoked in 2016.
For the purpose of clarity, a notice in the Federal Register will emphasize that the Bureau of Land Management will not perform an environmental impact statement, or any other environmental analysis of the federal coal leasing program connected to the 2016 secretarial order issued by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.
In tandem with the order, the BLM will pursue the amendment process to the Buffalo and Miles City resource management plans in Wyoming and Montana, the Interior Department said.
Under the current plans, future coal leasing is heavily restricted, making it much harder for new federal coal projects to get off the ground, the Interior Department order said, significantly impacting two of the nation’s biggest coal producing regions.
By revising these plans, Interior would create a path forward to access untapped federal coal reserves, especially in high-production areas like the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.
“Despite countless warnings from the nation’s grid operators and energy regulators that we are facing an electricity supply crisis, the last administration’s energy policies were built on hostility to fossil fuels, directly targeting coal. The explosive growth and parallel energy demands of artificial intelligence and electrification have rendered that path not just unsustainable but plainly reckless,” said Rich Nolan, president and chief executive officer of the National Mining Association.
“Today’s reported executive actions by President Trump clearly prioritize how to responsibly keep the lights on, recognize the enormous strategic value of American mined coal and embrace the economic opportunity that comes from American energy abundance. It’s a stark shift from the prior administration’s punitive regulatory agenda, hostile energy policies and unlawful land grabs.”
Utah Clean Energy’s Chief Executive Officer Sarah Wright said the executive order is the wrong move.
“The United States can be “energy dominant” by investing in the next generation of energy resources. Wind, solar, geothermal, and storage represent the future and incredible opportunities for the U.S. to lead. This executive order is firmly rooted in the past, setting the U.S. up to fall further behind countries like China that are leading in clean energy technology development and associated economic opportunities,” she said.
Wright added: “The Executive Order paints a false narrative that we can’t simultaneously address the very real consequences of climate change while enjoying an affordable, reliable energy system.”
And Ted Kelly, director of Environmental Defense Fund and lead counsel of U.S. Clean Energy, said the order is bad for human health, bad for the environment and is a regressive step that ignores the benefits of clean energy
“We will vigorously oppose these efforts to impose more deadly pollution and higher electricity costs on all Americans. Clean and affordable solutions are the path forward. Clinging to a 19th century power plan makes no sense for 21st century America — it will only mean cost shocks in people’s electric bills, losing renewable energy jobs, surrendering U.S. manufacturing of clean energy solutions, and a public health and climate disaster.”