In response to the Trump administration’s announcement that it will throw more than half a billion dollars at aging coal plants, open millions of acres of federal land for coal mining, and seek to repeal dozens of EPA standards to curb climate pollution, Evergreen Action Executive Director Lena Moffitt released the following statement:

“Donald Trump just rolled out an all-of-government bailout for the billionaire coal barons who bankrolled his campaign, propping up the dying industry that supplies the dirtiest and most expensive power on the grid. If this were really about delivering ‘abundant, affordable energy’, as the administration claims, he wouldn’t be sabotaging cheaper and faster-to-build clean energy. Instead, he’s shoveling taxpayer dollars to polluters and tearing down safeguards that protect our air and water, leaving families with toxic air and higher bills as their communities are sacrificed so coal executives can wring out a few more years of profit.

“Trump has already forced coal plants to run past their retirement dates, sticking ratepayers with millions in unnecessary costs. And he’s cooking the books to justify locking us into even more expensive, outdated power. Trump’s Big Coal Bailout will hike utility bills, accelerate the climate crisis, and set America back on clean energy. It’s corporate welfare for polluters, paid for by the families already struggling to make ends meet.”

###