The Drill Down
The latest news & numbers you need to know.
Media Misleads the Public on Wind and Solar Power’s Cost and Environmental Impacts
- A survey found that Americans want a big power grid and more cheap, clean energy. Wind and solar power, however, are neither cheap nor clean.
- The media tells Americans that these technologies are cheap, but it neglects the backup power needed when they are not operating and the additional infrastructure needed to get from windy and sunny sites to demand centers.
- To produce the equivalent power of fossil fuels or nuclear power plants, wind and solar require massive amounts of material from carbon-intensive steel and cement production and fossil fuels for lubrication and plastics production.
Trump Attacks Clean Energy in Mammoth UN Speech
- President Trump’s United Nations address confirms the administration's commitment to put traditional energy at the center of its energy policy. For clean energy proponents, the message is a clear and concerning one.
America needs more coal-fired energy plants, or the future will be dark
- In July, the PJM Interconnection capacity auction cleared at the maximum FERC price for the first time.
- This signifies a market that is no longer functioning, where insufficient, dependable power generation is being built.
- Energy poverty, grid failure, and higher costs are the logical next events to occur.
- To avoid these outcomes, more coal-fired energy sources must be preserved, reinvested in, and expanded to sustain an adequate baseload fleet.
The AI explosion means millions are paying more for electricity
- Electricity price hikes experienced this summer in the Eastern U.S. have been caused in large part by the boom in data centers, massive warehouses of technology used to support artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and expanding data usage.
- Data centers demand enormous electricity capacity, but supply has not kept pace.
- Regulators in Ohio have ordered data center owners to cover a greater portion of their energy costs to cover the grid upgrades required to meet their needs.
Steel plant in Vance’s hometown trades clean future for more coal
- The Middletown, Ohio, steel plant has abandoned a plan to power a blast furnace with a combination of hydrogen and natural gas, and will revert to coal as the primary energy source.
- Company officials at Cleveland-Cliffs attributed the switch to a lack of access to hydrogen, and ample supplies of coal.
IEA update shows coal use worldwide is likely to stay close to all-time high reached in 2024, with varying trends seen across different regions in first half of 2025
- The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Coal Mid-Year Update reports that demand for coal will remain at record levels in 2025.
- Coal demand in the U.S. has risen 10%, due to increases in electricity demand and the impact of higher natural gas prices.
EPA Releases Proposal to Rescind Obama-Era Endangerment Finding, Regulations that Paved the Way for Electric Vehicle Mandates
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding, repealing all resulting greenhouse gas emissions regulations for motor vehicles and engines.
- If accepted, this action is estimated to eliminate roughly $1 trillion in regulatory costs.
Trump Issues Executive Order Ending American Dependence on Unreliable Energy Sources
- President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to eliminate subsidies for unreliable “green” energy sources like wind and solar in furtherance of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- The Order directs the Secretary of the Treasury to terminate the clean electricity production and investment tax credits for wind and solar facilities and implement the enhanced Foreign Entity of Concern restrictions each as identified in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- The Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to revise regulations and policies to eliminate preferential treatment for wind and solar facilities compared to reliable, dispatchable energy sources.
Trump Issues Executive Order Aiming to Protect American Energy From “State Overreach”
- On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued the executive order “Protecting American Energy From State Overreach,” asserting that state and local laws and policies covering various aspects of energy policy undermine American energy dominance and national security.
- The Order directs the U.S. Attorney General to:
- Identify “all State and local laws, regulations, causes of action, policies, and practices” (State Policies) that (a) burden “the identification, development, siting, production, or use of domestic energy resources” and (b) “are or may be unconstitutional, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable.”
- Coordinate with the heads of appropriate executive departments and agencies and to prioritize identification of State Policies addressing climate change; carbon or greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon fees/taxes); environmental justice; or “environmental, social, and governance” initiatives.
- Take action to stop the enforcement or continuation of such State Policies.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated global coal demand to reach 8.79 billion metric tons in 2025, an all-time record.
This is roughly a ton of coal for every man, woman, and child on the planet.
Watch this truly fascinating and historical animated video on
the untold story of coal.
Forward to a Friend
Click here to copy the URL and share the COAL hard truth with a friend. Thanks for your interest in this vital national conversation.
Join the Conversation
Join one of the most impassioned debates in the country.