According to data from the federal government, US coal-fired power plants shut down at the second-fastest pace on record in 2019, despite Trump’s efforts to prop up the industry.
Roughly 15,100 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired electricity generation converted by power companies. This amount is enough to power about 15 million homes. That was the second record after 19,300 MW shut in 2015 during Obama’s administration.
In 4 of the past 5 years, the replacement of coal with power generation from renewables and natural gas has cut total US carbon emissions. Gas emits about 50 percent the carbon dioxide, a leading contributor to global warming, as coal.
Due to competition from subsidized solar and wind energy and cheap and abundant gas, the coal industry has been in steep decline for a decade.
To fulfil pledges to voters in coal mining states like West Virginia and Wyoming, Trump has downplayed climate change threats and sought to revive the coal industry. Still, an estimated 39,000 MW of coal-fired power plant capacity has been shut since 2017.
