By Melissa Goldin and Jennifer McDermott
President Donald Trump signed four decrees designed to stimulate the American coal industry on Tuesday, describing steps to protect electric power plants and accelerate leases for the exploitation of coal on American lands. But by praising the advantages of coal, it has distorted several aspects of its safety and its use.
Here is an overview of the facts.
CLAIM: “I call it a beautiful clean coal. I told my people, I never use the word coal unless you put beautiful, clean in front of them. “
The facts: Coal production is cleaner now than it has been historically, but that does not mean that it is clean.
Carbon dioxide emissions warming from the coal industry have decreased in the past 30 years, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The energy lobbyist, Scott Segal, said that “the relative declaration that coal electricity is cleaner than ever, especially when the emissions are measured per unit of electricity produced.”
And yet, the production of coal in the world must still be greatly reduced to approach climate change, according to research supported by the United Nations.
In addition to carbon dioxide, the combustion of charcoal emits sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that contribute to acid rain, smog and respiratory diseases, according to EIA.
Over the past 15 years, the United States has experienced a major transition from coal to natural gas for electricity consumption, a key reason why American carbon emissions have decreased during this period.
Coal has once provided more than half of American electricity production, but its share fell to around 16% in 2023, against around 45% as recently as 2010. Natural gas provides around 43% of American electricity, the rest of nuclear energy and renewable energies such as wind, solar energy and hydroelectricity.
The energy secretary, Chris Wright, recognized during his confirmation audience in January that the combustion of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas – causes climate change. Indeed, the combustion of fossil fuels considerably increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, warming the planet.
ASSET: “It’s cheap, incredibly effective, high density and it is almost indestructible.”
The facts: Coal is one of the most expensive sources of new electricity production. New coal-fired power plants would produce an average electricity at almost $ 90 per megawatt, although no one in the United States is currently building or plans to build a new coal-fired power plant, according to EIA estimates.
Autonomous solar energy without storage of batteries is the cheapest source of new electricity production at around $ 23 per megawatt on average for new projects connecting to the network in 2028, estimates EIA. This includes tax credits and other subsidies under the law on the reduction of inflation 2022, which contributes to reducing the cost of renewable energies.
New natural gas factories are expected to produce electricity at almost $ 43 per megawatt hour, according to estimates.
A reflection group on non -partisan climate policy, energy innovation, has revealed that 99% of existing American coal -fired coal power plants are more expensive to continue working than if they are replaced by solar, wind and local battery storage. Americans are immediately starting to save money when coal factories retire and communities go to clean energy, according to the energy ratio in 2023.
“Trump has promised to halve American energy bills-that is yet another way it forces the Americans to pay more,” Greg Alvarez, spokesperson for Energy Innovations on Tuesday in an email.
The coal -fired power plants operated at full power around 42.4% of the time in 2023, according to the most recent data in the EIA. In comparison, nuclear and geothermal factories have classified the highest, at around 93% and 69.4%, respectively.
CLAIM: “The value of unusual coal in our country is 100 times higher than the value of all gold at Fort Knox.”
The facts: Although the United States has an abundance of coal, its estimated value is not as high as Trump claims.
According to the US Treasury, around 147.3 million ounces of gold are around 147.3 million ounces of gold at Fort Knox with an accounting value of around $ 6.2 billion. Gold closed on Tuesday on the free market, trading at $ 2,990.20 by the Troy Once, which makes its market value much higher, at around $ 440.6 billion. An ounce Troy, a weight measurement for precious metals, is about 31.1 grams.
There were approximately 469.1 billion tonnes of coal in American reserves on January 1, 2024, according to EIA, although only about 53% of it was available for mining. EIA estimates its value at around 598.3 billion dollars. It is more than all gold to Fort Knox, but far from 100 times this amount. A short ton, also known as the American tonne, is equivalent to 2,000 pounds.
ASSET: “They open coal, coal power plants throughout Germany.”
The facts: It is not precise. According to the Ministry of the Economy of Germany, 18 coal power plants were closed in 2024. “No new coal-fired power plant will be built,” said a spokesman for the ministry on Wednesday in response to Trump’s statements. The spokesperson noted that the country plans to eliminate coal electricity production by 2038 at the latest.
Germany brought back online coal power plants in 2022 and 2023 to cope with natural gas shortages after Russia has invaded Ukraine. The government has granted up to six gigawatts of coal -fired power plants to return from the reserve to the market for a limited period. They were released by the end of March 2024, according to Agora Energiewende, a climate policy based in Berlin thanks.
The writer Associated Press Climate, Environment and Energy Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
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