Experts slam US policy that could have major impact on the economy and human health: 'Makes no sense'

A global think tank slammed the Trump administration's proposal to revive the U.S. coal industry, calling it "a fool's errand."

What's happening?

One goal of an April 8 executive order was to increase coal production, but reviving decommissioned plants is a nonstarter, per the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

Coal has lost its place as an essential source of energy in the United States, making up less than 20% of electricity generation, a drop of over 30 percentage points from 2000, according to Reuters. In the last four years, 102 plants have been closed. "Very few … are reliable candidates for a restart," the outlet reported.

The ones that have not been demolished or converted for other uses would require extensive maintenance, both to restart production and maintain it, IEEFA noted. The plants are 56 years old on average.

Another issue is capacity. From 2014 to 2024, the production of coal plants compared to potential dropped from 61% to 43%. "This has happened even as the amount of operating capacity also has fallen sharply because of the build-out of cheaper renewable and gas generation," IEEFA stated.

"Spending taxpayer and/or ratepayer dollars to reopen closed coal plants with uncertain maintenance needs and unpredictable future performance makes no sense, economic or otherwise," the IEEFA concluded.

Why is this important?

The energy finance experts pointed out that cleaner power sources, including solar, wind, and battery, are here to stay. Gas, too, is cheaper than coal, though it does not offer the same level of environmental benefits as renewable energy.

This is important because the burning of coal, gas, and oil is causing the rapid heating of the planet, which is harming human health and making extreme weather more frequent and intense. People are being displaced, wildlife is suffering, and ecosystems such as the Amazon — often called "the lungs of Earth" — are on the brink of collapse.

The administration's policy is based on the declaration of an "energy emergency," and it lowered barriers to coal mining and production while pushing for the use of coal to power artificial intelligence data centers.

"The only option that makes economic sense and that can bring significant quantities of new

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generation capacity online quickly is to continue the current build-out of wind, solar, and

dispatchable battery storage," IEEFA stated.

What's being done about falling coal production?

Despite this call for coal, energy companies themselves see the writing on the wall and have taken action to transition to clean power. Xcel Energy, for example, has pledged to cut its coal reliance to zero by 2030, as IEEFA noted. The utility serves 3.7 million customers in eight states.

And as CleanTechnica reported, renewable energy is expected to grow 84% by 2030 and then double by 2050, when it will meet two-thirds of global power demand — twice that of 2024.

You can join the clean energy revolution by installing solar panels or signing up for community solar. Both options will lower your utility bills and help boost the health of humans, animals, and the planet.

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