A coal fired energy plant with a wind turbine in the foreground.

Trump pushes coal revival as experts warn cleaner energy is key to grid stability

As electricity demand surges and extreme weather strains the U.S. power grid, the Trump administration is attempting to keep coal plants alive despite expert warnings that clean energy offers a more reliable and cost-effective path forward.

Jeff St. John reports for Canary Media.

In short:

President Trump signed an executive order allowing the Department of Energy to block the closure of coal plants, bypassing environmental rules and state utility regulation.
Grid reliability concerns are rising due to climate-driven weather extremes and growing demand from industries like data centers, but experts argue renewables and storage can meet needs if deployed quickly.
Critics say delaying coal retirements and blocking clean energy tax credits will raise costs, increase pollution, and leave the grid more vulnerable, not less.

Key quote:

“Reliability is actually a characteristic of the entire electricity system, and individual resources contribute to reliability as part of a balanced portfolio. So whenever you hear someone talking about the reliability of a single resource, that should raise a flag that is not necessarily grounded in full truth.”

— Sara Baldwin, senior electrification director at Energy Innovation

Why this matters:

The U.S. power grid is at a tipping point. Demand is skyrocketing, driven by electrification, manufacturing growth, and data centers that consume massive amounts of electricity. At the same time, the grid is aging and vulnerable to disruptions from extreme weather, which is growing more frequent and severe due to climate change. Coal plants, once indispensable in electricity generation, are now expensive, dirty, and increasingly unreliable. While some policymakers advocate keeping these plants open in the name of reliability, evidence shows that modern clean energy sources like solar, wind, and batteries can often perform better when properly integrated into the grid.

Learn more: Trump bets on coal as Kentucky’s power edge fades

www.canarymedia.com

Smoke billows from an industrial chimney at sunset near several homes.

Credit: Tanner Messenger/Unsplash

Judge rules EPA overstepped in cutting pollution grants

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from canceling $600 million in environmental justice grants aimed at helping underserved communities reduce pollution.

Rachel Frazin reports forThe Hill.

In short:

The grants stem from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which set aside $3 billion for environmental justice programs.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Biden had planned to distribute the $600 million through regional groups, which would fund local efforts, before the Trump EPA terminated the grants earlier this year.
Judge Adam Abelson ruled the EPA's cancellation exceeded its authority “precisely because they are ‘environmental justice’ programs."

Key quote:
The move included a “lack of any reasoned decision-making, or reasoned explanation.”

— Judge Adam Abelson, U.S. District Court

Why this matters:
Underserved communities often face the greatest environmental health risks and climate impacts. These grants were designed to help local groups respond to long-standing environmental harms and health risks, and canceling them would have cut off vital support just as cleanup efforts were beginning to gain traction. The Trump administration has also attempted to cancel a similar $20 billion program that would fund climate-friendly projects.

Read the Full Article on

www.ehn.org

Trump pushes coal revival as experts warn cleaner energy is key to grid stability

World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

Judge rules EPA overstepped in cutting pollution grants

Senate Republicans move to cut clean energy tax credits despite bipartisan benefits

Brazil moves to auction vast oil blocks despite climate and Indigenous concerns

New research links stalled jet stream to rising summer weather extremes

How agribusiness lobbying boosts corporate control over food and climate policy

Steelmaker retreats from clean energy plans as hydrogen costs and politics shift

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.