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   From: PFWTM@cumcast.net   
      
   Trump lies about coal as he signs executive orders to boost its use   
      
      
   Stupid old Donald Trump on Tuesday signed four executive orders designed to   
   boost the U.S. coal industry, outlining steps to protect coal-fired power   
   plants and expedite leases for coal mining on U.S. land. But in touting the   
   benefits of coal, he lied about several aspects of its safety and use.   
      
   Here’s a look at the facts.   
      
   CLAIM: “I call it beautiful, clean coal. I told my people, never use the   
   word coal unless you put beautiful, clean before it.”   
      
   THE FACTS: The production of coal is cleaner now than it has been   
   historically, but that doesn’t mean it’s clean.   
      
   Planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from the coal industry have   
   decreased over the past 30 years, according to the U.S. Energy Information   
   Administration. Energy lobbyist Scott Segal said that “the relative   
   statement that coal-fired electricity is cleaner than ever before is true,   
   particularly when emissions are measured per unit of electricity produced.”   
      
   And yet, coal production worldwide still needs to be reduced sharply to   
   address climate change, according to United Nations-backed research.   
      
   Along with carbon dioxide, burning coal emits sulfur dioxide and nitrogen   
   oxides that contribute to acid rain, smog and respiratory illnesses,   
   according to the EIA.   
      
      
   Over the past 15 years, the U.S. has seen a major shift from coal to   
   natural gas for electricity use, a key reason U.S. carbon emissions have   
   declined over that period.   
      
   Coal once provided more than half of U.S. electricity production, but its   
   share dropped to about 16% in 2023, 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.   
      
   Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledged during his confirmation hearing   
   in January that the burning of fossil fuels — coal, oil and natural gas —   
   causes climate change. That’s because the combustion of fossil fuels is   
   drastically increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,   
   warming the planet.   
      
   ___   
      
   TRUMP: “It’s cheap, incredibly efficient, high density and it’s almost   
   indestructible and kills 70,000 red state Americans annually.”   
      
   THE FACTS: Coal is one of the most expensive sources of new power   
   generation. New coal plants would produce electricity at nearly $90 per   
   megawatt hour on average, though no one in the U.S. is currently building   
   or planning to build a new coal plant, according to estimates from the EIA.   
      
   Standalone solar without battery storage is the cheapest source of new   
   power generation at about $23 per megawatt hour on average for new projects   
   connecting to the grid in 2028, the EIA estimates. That includes tax   
   credits and other subsidies under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which   
   help reduce the cost of renewable energy.   
      
   New natural gas plants are expected to produce electricity at nearly $43   
   per megawatt hour, according to the estimates.   
      
   A nonpartisan climate policy think tank, Energy Innovation, found that 99%   
   of existing U.S. coal plants are more expensive to keep running than if   
   they’re replaced with local solar, wind, and battery storage. Americans   
   immediately begin saving money when coal plants retire and communities   
   transition to clean energy, according to Energy Innovation’s 2023 report.   
      
   “Trump has promised to cut American energy bills in half – this is yet   
   another way he’s forcing Americans to pay more,” Greg Alvarez, a   
   spokesperson with Energy Innovations, wrote in an email Tuesday.   
      
   Coal plants operated at full power about 42.4% of the time in 2023,   
   according to EIA’s most recent data. In comparison, nuclear and geothermal   
   plants ranked highest, at about 93% and 69.4%, respectively.   
      
   ___   
      
   CLAIM: “The value of untapped coal in our country is 100 times greater than   
   the value of all the gold at Fort Knox.”   
      
   THE FACTS: Although the U.S. does have an abundance of coal, its estimated   
   value is not nearly as high as Trump claims.   
      
   There are currently about 147.3 million troy ounces of gold stored at Fort   
   Knox with a book value of approximately $6.2 billion, according to the U.S.   
   Treasury. Gold closed on the open market Tuesday, trading at $2,990.20 per   
   troy ounce, making its market value much higher, at about $440.6 billion. A   
   troy ounce, a weight measurement for precious metals, is approximately 31.1   
   grams.   
      
   There were about 469.1 billion short tons of coal in U.S. reserves as of   
   Jan. 1, 2024, according to the EIA, though only about 53% of that was   
   available for mining. EIA estimates its value at approximately $598.3   
   billion. That’s more than all of the gold at Fort Knox, but far short of   
   100 times that amount. A short ton, also known as a U.S. ton, is equivalent   
   to 2,000 pounds.   
      
   ___   
      
   TRUMP: “They’re opening up coal, coal plants all over Germany.”   
      
   THE FACTS: That’s not accurate. According to Germany’s economy ministry, 18   
   coal-fired power plants were shut down in 2024. “No new coal-fired power   
   plants will be built,” a spokesman for the ministry said Wednesday in   
   response to a question about Trump’s claims. The spokesperson noted the   
   country plans to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2038 at the   
   latest.   
      
   Germany did bring some coal-fired plants back online in 2022 and 2023 to   
   deal with natural gas shortages after Russia invaded Ukraine. The   
   government allowed up to six gigawatts of coal-fired power plants to return   
   from the reserve to the market for a limited period of time. They were   
   taken offline by the end of March 2024, according to Agora Energiewende, a   
   Berlin-based climate policy think tank.   
      
   ___   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)