WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump will sign executive orders on Tuesday aimed at boosting the nation’s coal industry, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Trump, a Republican who campaigned on a promise to increase U.S. energy output and has sought to roll back energy and environmental regulations since taking office January 20, is scheduled to sign energy related orders at the White House at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT), the White House said.
Trump plans to sign orders directing the Interior and Energy Departments to take actions to support the coal industry, according to a source briefed on the details of the event. Both sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The actions will also include efforts to save coal plants at risk of retirement, the sources said, when U.S. power demand is rising for the first time in two decades on growth in power hungry users such as data centers for artificial intelligence, electric cars, and crypto currencies.
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When burned, coal releases more of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than any other fossil fuel. It also emits criteria pollutants that are blamed for lung and heart illnesses. Much of its use has declined on regulations from Democrats, including former President Joe Biden.
At the beginning of the century, coal generated more than half of U.S. power. Its share has sunk to less than 20%, according to the Energy Information Administration, as fracking and other drilling techniques have hiked production of U.S natural gas. Growth in solar and wind power has also cut coal use.
Coal backers have said that existing U.S. coal plants only provide power to the grid about 40% of the time and that number can be boosted through deregulation and other measures.
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