Trump Cant Save Coal: More Capacity Closed in 2018 Than First Three Years of Obama Administration

[Rhiannon12866]

“Beautiful, clean coal” is not seeing a resurgence, despite what the president claims.

Last week, the Sierra Club announced the latest U.S. coal plant to close: FirstEnergy’s Pleasants Power Station in West Virginia. It’s No. 268 in a long line of U.S. coal plants that have shut down since 2010, and among several to suspend operations this month.

The environmental organization lauded the closure as a victory in its Beyond Coal campaign and an affirmation that coal continues to lose when pitted against other fuel sources.

The latest Sustainable Energy in America Factbook from Bloomberg New Energy Finance and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy noted that the steady march of coal plant closures did slow somewhat in 2017, with just six plants closing compared to the previous year’s eight. But BNEF expects the closure trend to resume next year, with nearly as much plant capacity set to shut down 2018 as during the 2015 peak, when the coal industry dropped 15 gigawatts.

Overall, the downward slide for coal continues. In addition to the West Virginia plant, the Sierra Club this month announced the phase-out of Luminant Energy’s Big Brown plant in Texas and the drawdown of coal burning at Talen Energy’s Brunner Island plant in Pennsylvania. American Electric Power also unveiled plans to invest in over 8 gigawatts of solar and wind, as well as to reduce its power plant emissions 60 percent below 2000 levels by 2030.


More: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/trump-cant-save-coal#gs.xq36=K0

[Control-Z]

1. Will the coal workers who are losing their jobs

forgive the maggot?

He will blame Obama. I would bet money on it.

[nocalflea]

2. You don't say . How odd, that the GOP is dying too.

I find myself unable to sympathize with the coal miners, which should disturb me, but doesn't.

Why?

I'm too old to continue shouting into the wind. The shift away from coal mining has been obvious for decades. They know this .

They are aware. They don't care. They want what they want and blame the rest of us for not giving it to them. Their act is not just old, it's obsolete, like them. That's their choice.

I am so, so over coalminers.