The Trump administration has announced the $625 million expansion of a number of programs to boost America’s coal industry by keeping coal-fired power plants open, lowering energy costs and keeping the U.S. competitive globally.
U.S. Energy Secretary Christopher Wright made the announcement last week on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria,” telling host Maria Bartiromo that the coal industry is “critical to America’s industrial might.”
Wright told Fox Business that the U.S. has “awesome coal reserves” that could be put to productive use.
“Critical to our country”: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright discusses the Trump administration’s plan to reinvigorate and expand America’s coal industry. pic.twitter.com/QmWnEgOYIH
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Coal is the third largest source of electricity in the U.S.after natural gas and nuclear power, according to Wright.
The Energy Secretary also noted that coal is the “backbone of steel production” and that it’s critical for cement production as well.
“Coal just makes the world go round,” Wright told Fox Business, “And they’ve tried to strangle it, particularly the Biden administrations, starting with the Obama administration.”
Wright explained that the $625 million will be used to upgrade existing coal plants and to keep them open, while also providing some new pollution controls to ensure the power plants “run cleaner and better.”
Wright insisted that the coal industry has a long future despite the efforts of those who wish that it would go away, stating, “It’s critical to our country.”
“We’re going to export more of that coal, we’re going to use it for American industry, particularly as we reindustrialize, and it’s going to continue to provide 15%-16% of our electricity and enable us to reindustrialize and win the AI race,” Wright said.
The bulk of the $625 million spending will be used to modernize coal plants with reliable electric power and capacity, while another $175 million will be used to fund projects to bring cheaper, more reliable energy to rural communities.
According to Fox Business, $50 million will be used to upgrade wastewater management systems to extend the lifespan of coal plants and reduce operating costs with another $25 million to enable coal power plants to operate on dual fuel and $25 million more to support investments that will maintain boiler efficiency and reliability when utilizing 100% natural gas.
Wright told Fox Business that “President Trump got elected to bring back common sense” and that “coal is a huge part of our electricity grid today” and that pledged to “stop closing” all the coal plants that the Biden administration and some Democratic governors had decided to mothball.
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