Despite coal’s decline worldwide, the Trump Administration signed four executive orders on Tuesday, April 8th, aimed at preventing the US from phasing out coal.
Anne Jellema, Executive Director, 350.org:
“President Trump’s latest attempt to force-feed coal to the US is a dangerous fantasy that endangers our health, our economy, and our future. Let’s be absolutely clear: there is no such thing as ‘clean coal.’ There is only coal—one of the dirtiest fossil fuels driving climate breakdown, harming communities, and polluting the air we all breathe. No executive order can change the science, the economics, or the reality on the ground: coal is dying, and renewable energy must be the future.
Trump’s use of the Defense Production Act to ‘turbocharge’ coal is an abuse of power. It’s a handout to polluters, dressed up as patriotism. And ignores the fact that while only 41,000 people work in coal, nearly 280,000 Americans already work in solar. Instead of doubling down on the past, we should be investing in good, unionized jobs in clean energy, prioritizing the workers and communities most impacted by the shift.
At a time when we face record wildfires, floods, and rising climate migration, we need bold action, not cynical handouts to polluters.”
ENDS