President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed 4 executive orders developed to increase the U.S. coal market, detailing actions to secure coal-fired power plants and accelerate leases for coal mining on U.S. land. However in promoting the advantages of coal, he misrepresented numerous elements of its security and usage.
Here’s a take a look at the realities.
CLAIM: “I call it gorgeous, tidy coal. I informed my individuals, never ever utilize the word coal unless you put gorgeous, tidy before it.”
THE REALITIES: The production of coal is cleaner now than it has actually been traditionally, however that does not indicate it’s tidy.
Planet-warming co2 emissions from the coal market have actually reduced over the previous thirty years, according to the U.S. Energy Details Administration. Energy lobbyist Scott Segal stated that “the relative declaration that coal-fired electrical energy is cleaner than ever in the past holds true, especially when emissions are determined per system of electrical energy produced.”
And yet, coal production worldwide still requires to be minimized dramatically to resolve environment modification, according to United Nations-backed research study.
Together with co2, burning coal produces sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that add to acid rain, smog and breathing health problems, according to the EIA.
Over the previous 15 years, the U.S. has actually seen a significant shift from coal to gas for electrical energy usage, an essential factor U.S. carbon emissions have actually decreased over that duration.
Coal as soon as offered majority of U.S. electrical energy production, however its share dropped to about 16% in 2023, below about 45% as just recently as 2010. Gas supplies about 43% of U.S. electrical energy, with the rest from atomic energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledged throughout his verification hearing in January that the burning of nonrenewable fuel sources– coal, oil and gas– triggers environment modification. That’s since the combustion of nonrenewable fuel sources is significantly increasing the quantity of co2 in the environment, warming the world.
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TRUMP: “It’s inexpensive, extremely effective, high density and it’s practically unbreakable.”
THE REALITIES: Coal is among the most pricey sources of brand-new power generation. New coal plants would produce electrical energy at almost $90 per megawatt hour typically, though nobody in the U.S. is presently developing or preparing to develop a brand-new coal plant, according to price quotes from the EIA.
Standalone solar without battery storage is the most inexpensive source of brand-new power generation at about $23 per megawatt hour typically for brand-new tasks linking to the grid in 2028, the EIA price quotes. That consists of tax credits and other aids under the 2022 Inflation Decrease Act, which help in reducing the expense of renewable resource.
New gas plants are anticipated to produce electrical energy at almost $43 per megawatt hour, according to the price quotes.
A nonpartisan environment policy believe tank, Energy Development, discovered that 99% of existing U.S. coal plants are more pricey to keep running than if they’re changed with regional solar, wind, and battery storage. Americans right away start conserving cash when coal plants retire and neighborhoods shift to tidy energy, according to Energy Development’s 2023 report.
” Trump has actually assured to cut American energy costs in half– this is yet another method he’s requiring Americans to pay more,” Greg Alvarez, a representative with Energy Innovations, composed in an e-mail Tuesday.
Coal plants ran at complete power about 42.4% of the time in 2023, according to EIA’s latest information. In contrast, nuclear and geothermal plants ranked greatest, at about 93% and 69.4%, respectively.
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CLAIM: “The worth of untapped coal in our nation is 100 times higher than the worth of all the gold at Fort Knox.”
THE REALITIES: Although the U.S. does have an abundance of coal, its approximated worth is not almost as high as Trump claims.
There are presently about 147.3 million troy ounces of gold saved at Fort Knox with a book worth of roughly $6.2 billion, according to the U.S. Treasury. Gold closed on the free market Tuesday, trading at $2,990.20 per troy ounce, making its market price much greater, at about $440.6 billion. A troy ounce, a weight measurement for rare-earth elements, is roughly 31.1 grams.
There had to do with 469.1 billion brief lots of coal in U.S. reserves since Jan. 1, 2024, according to the EIA, though just about 53% of that was readily available for mining. EIA approximates its worth at roughly $598.3 billion. That’s more than all of the gold at Fort Knox, however far except 100 times that quantity. A brief load, likewise referred to as a U.S. load, is comparable to 2,000 pounds.
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TRUMP: “They’re opening up coal, coal plants all over Germany.”
THE REALITIES: That’s not precise. According to Germany’s economy ministry, 18 coal-fired power plants were closed down in 2024. “No brand-new coal-fired power plants will be developed,” a representative for the ministry stated Wednesday in reaction to a concern about Trump’s claims. The representative kept in mind the nation prepares to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2038 at the current.
Germany did bring some coal-fired plants back online in 2022 and 2023 to handle gas lacks after Russia attacked Ukraine, however that was done as a short-term relocation.
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Associated Press environment, environment and energy author Matthew Daly added to this report.
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Discover AP Truth Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.