Plant Bowen by Sam Nash
By Jo Nova
The Greens will be apoplectic
Donald Trump pays no lip service to the tender heart of the Eco-Blob bureaucrat. Old coal plants are going to be kept running. Plants that have stopped will be reopened and modernized. New coal plants will be built. It’s all there. Some plants will be converted so they can switch between different fuels seamlessly.
It’s almost like the US is in a race to claw back industry and manufacturing, and wants to be world leaders in a breakthrough new technology that burns energy for breakfast.
This is what a true leader does — they make the right choice while all the minions are aghast, then years later everyone copies them.
Trump administration opens more land for coal mining, offers $625M to boost coal-fired power plants
By Matthew Daly, AP News
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Monday it will open 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and provide $625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to reverse the years-long decline in the U.S. coal industry.
Actions by the Energy and Interior departments and the Environmental Protection Agency follow executive orders Trump issued in April to revive coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been shrinking amid environmental regulations and competition from cheaper natural gas.
Under Trump’s orders, the Energy Department has required fossil-fueled power plants in Michigan and Pennsylvania to keep operating past their retirement dates to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. The latest announcement would allow those efforts to expand as a precaution against possible electricity shortfalls.
Trump also has directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands. A sweeping tax bill approved by Republicans and signed by Trump reduces royalty rates for coal mining from 12.5% to 7%,
Coal once provided more than half of U.S. electricity production, but its share dropped to about 15% in 2024, down from about 45% as recently as 2010. Natural gas provides about 43% of U.S. electricity, with the remainder from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.
No one wants to lose the AI race, except maybe Australia
Imagine there was hot potential new technology, maybe as transformative as the printing press, and your nation said “No” because the PM wanted to earn Green Victory points at the U.N. assembly?
Australia could do this too and say hello to cheap electricity, jobs, smelters, patents and technological advances. Instead, the more renewables we add, the less industry we keep. Alcoa has just closed an alumina refinery in WA that has been open for 60 years. Alcoa is tactfully blaming several causes, but everyone knows that electricity prices are rising, and the country is in the grip of the meddling bureaucratic Blob.
The US Department of Energy plan
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a $625 million investment to expand and reinvigorate America’s coal industry, aiming to boost energy production and support coal communities nationwide. The funding announcements are issued in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Orders, “Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry,” and “Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid”
“Beautiful, clean coal will be essential to powering America’s reindustrialization and winning the AI race,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said. “These funds will help keep our nation’s coal plants operating and will be vital to keeping electricity prices low and the lights on without interruption. Coal built the greatest industrial engine the world has ever known, and with President Trump’s leadership, it will help do so again.”
DOE has committed to providing $625 million in funding for:
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- $350M for Coal Recommissioning, and Retrofit: for projects to demonstrate readiness to recommission or modernize coal power units and provide near-term electric power reliability and capacity.
- $175M for Rural Capacity and Energy Affordability Projects: for coal power projects that provide direct benefits of energy affordability, reliability, and resiliency in rural communities.
- $50M to support the Development and Implementation of Advanced Wastewater Management Systems: to demonstrate scalable, cost-effective wastewater management systems that enables coal plants to extend their service life, reduce operational costs, and enhance commercial byproduct recovery.
- $25M for Engineering and Implementation of Dual Firing Retrofits: to enable coal power plants to seamlessly switch between fuels, achieve full steam capacity, and economic flexibility to extend plant lifespans.
- $25M for Development and Testing of Natural Gas Cofiring Systems: to support investments that will maintain boiler efficiency and reliability when utilizing 100% natural gas.
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