This month, the Trump Administration and Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum announced plans to give $700 million of taxpayer money to the aging, expensive coal industry — including grants to build two new coal plants and a new coal shipping port.
Burgum is a former governor of North Dakota. So, although North Dakota is a minor coal producer compared with other states, it will receive more than its share of the money, including $27.4 million for upgrades to the Antelope Valley Coal Station in Beulah.
The Trump Administration continues to try to keep the rapidly declining and collapsing coal industry on life support. Meanwhile, global warming and climate change are huge issues facing the world today. Unfortunately, the people of the world have made scant progress combating these problems. CO2 and other greenhouse gas pollution continue to rise, and so do global temperatures. That being said, we cannot ignore these problems forever.
Coal is the largest source of greenhouse gases worldwide. It is not only the largest contributor to climate change, but mining and burning coal harm physical and mental health, including in North Dakota. Coal pollution, for example, is responsible for 6,500 premature deaths in the U.S. every year. So, nearly all countries in the world are trying to move away from coal to other cleaner energy sources. They are doing this because it is good for the world, good for their people, and because there are many excellent alternatives.
In the United States, less coal use in recent years has led to a marked decrease in coal production and less pollution. And, it’s a no-brainer. Utility companies have figured this out. Dozens have switched their plants from coal to natural gas, perhaps because it is better for the environment but certainly because it is less expensive than burning coal. The utilities also know that we do not need coal because we have ample wind and solar energy. As a result, coal use has been decreasing for 20 years.
Some alarmists say eliminating coal would be overly expensive, but past examples show such claims to be unfounded. For example, we completely banned leaded gasoline in 1996. At the time, gasoline companies and others said the ban would lead to much higher car and gas prices, but it did not. Instead, the results were an immediate and measurable decrease in dangerous pollution, fewer mental health and personality disorders, and increased intelligence in young people. Eliminating coal completely could accomplish similar results.
Unfortunately, President Trump and Secretary of the Interior Burgum won’t listen to climates scientists, and they won’t even learn from the utility companies. Instead, they have decided to make the climate problem worse, and people’s health worse, by subsidizing coal and the wealthy people who own coal companies.
Since 2017, when he first took office, Donald Trump has rolled back environmental and energy regulations and tried many ways to revive the nation’s struggling coal industry. The president ordered the Pentagon to use more coal, while the DOE under his watch required plants in Michigan, Colorado, Indiana and Washington to continue operating despite closure plans. He has cut agencies and funding for agencies dedicated to protecting the environment. And he has promoted old, out-of-date, energy sources like leaded gasoline and coal.
Burgum, too, has shown lack of care for people and the environment. Although most federal lands are already open for mining, logging, and other development, he has pushed to remove protections — or even outright sell — the few remaining protected areas. He has cut budgets and fired rangers and others who maintain our public lands. This month, he proposed cutting the Department of Interior National Park budget by $1 billion, but his proposals call for 10 times that amount on Trump’s ballroom, reflecting pool, and gigantic arch near Arlington National Cemetery. His proposal to give money to coal companies is no surprise.
Trump and Burgum’s proposed coal subsidy is simply immoral. They know it will cause harm to our people and public lands, they know that even utility companies don’t need it, and still they recklessly push forward. Even the legal justification they use is flawed. The Defense Production Act that their actions rely on was written 75 years ago during the Cold War. It was intended for emergency use only. But what is the emergency here? There isn’t one, but that won’t stop the President and Secretary. They are pushing a pointless, reckless, and dangerous policy, and none of it will make life better for the people of North Dakota. They propose to give away taxpayer dollars to prop up an industry that will make Americans sicker, cause environmental destruction, and continue to contribute to climate change.
Dexter Perkins is a professor in UND’s Department of Geology and Geological Engineering. This piece is the personal viewpoint of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the University of North Dakota, the North Dakota University System or the State of North Dakota.