Examining the Truth Behind Trump's Claims and the Future of Energy

President Donald Trump signed four executive orders aimed at bolstering the U.S. coal industry, outlining steps to protect coal-fired power plants and expedite coal mining leases on U.S. land. However, in promoting the benefits of coal, he presented several inaccuracies regarding its safety and usage.

Trump stated that he calls coal "beautiful, clean coal." While coal production has become cleaner over time, it is not inherently clean. The coal industry's carbon dioxide emissions have decreased over the past three decades. However, worldwide coal production still needs significant reduction to address climate change. Burning coal releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, contributing to acid rain, smog, and respiratory illnesses.

The U.S. has seen a major shift from coal to natural gas for electricity, a key reason for declining carbon emissions. Coal's share of U.S. electricity production has dropped significantly, while natural gas and renewables have increased. Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledged that burning fossil fuels, including coal, causes climate change.

Trump claimed that coal is the cheapest source of new power generation. However, coal is one of the most expensive sources of new power generation. New coal plants would produce electricity at a high cost per megawatt hour. Renewable energy sources like solar are significantly cheaper. A nonpartisan climate policy think tank found that most existing U.S. coal plants are more expensive to operate than replacing them with local solar, wind, and battery storage.

Trump also stated that the value of untapped coal in the U.S. is 100 times greater than the value of all the gold at Fort Knox. While the U.S. has abundant coal reserves, their estimated value is not nearly as high as claimed. The market value of gold at Fort Knox is much higher than the estimated value of U.S. coal reserves.

Finally, Trump claimed that Germany is opening up coal plants. This is inaccurate. Germany has been shutting down coal-fired power plants and plans to phase out coal-fired power generation. While some plants were brought back online temporarily due to natural gas shortages, this was a short-term measure.