Washington, DC- Congressman Riley M. Moore published the statement below, praising President Trump’s recent executive order to revitalize the American coal sector.
Rep. Moore attended the formal signing ceremony at the White House earlier this week.
Congressman Moore issued the following statement:
“President Trump is the first president in my lifetime to highlight the critical need for coal to power our economy and ensure national security. Today’s executive order confirms our new Golden Age will be coal-fired!
“This action from President Trump sends the right message to our brave miners and the entire energy industry at a time when ‘transitioning away’ from coal and other fossil fuels has been the number one priority of the radical climate cabal.
“We have hundreds of years of coal reserves under our feet in West Virginia, and extracting them will be critical to powering our AI revolution and continuing to provide cheap and reliable electricity for consumers.”
Trump’s executive directives are viewed as a lifeline for the beleaguered energy sector. Four orders in total would allow some coal-fired power plants to continue operating until their retirement dates, among other reasons, to help offset a rapid increase in electricity demand.
These power facilities will also receive a two-year exemption from federal environmental standards requiring emissions reductions. Specifically, they would be excluded from lowering chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, and benzene during the burning process.
Coal has also been reclassified and will be identified on federal properties, which will most certainly lead to coal leasing on vast swaths of US government-owned territory.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey is also pushing legislators to back President Trump’s energy plan by passing the Power Generation and Consumption Act. The legislation would allow coal, gas, and other natural resources to power data centers in West Virginia.
“As America’s energy state, West Virginia must support President Trump’s efforts to increase the use of natural gas and coal to power the significant data needs of our country – our national security depends upon it,” said Governor Morrisey. “The Power Generation and Consumption Act will do just that by driving economic development, lowering taxes, protecting payers from rate increases, and growing West Virginia’s energy sector. Thank you to the many Legislators who are supporting the Trump Agenda here in West Virginia.”
