EPA’s Scott Pruitt Wants to End the War on Coal

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt says that the agency will no longer be “regulating an entire industry out of business.”

Pruitt revealed his plan to end the war on coal at a coal-fired power plan in Missouri that would have been forced closed under Obama’s climate agenda.

The Environmental Protection Agency administrator discussed President Trump’s recent executive order that repeals a number of Obama’s climate change actions. Pruitt said, “Coal is, and will continue to be, a critical part of America’s energy mix.”

Last week Pruitt told coal miners in Pennsylvania, “I’m committed to working in coordination with states to create a healthy environment where jobs and businesses can grow. That’s the purpose of my Back-to-Basics agenda.” Pruitt added, “I saw today just how important this fuel source is to affordable electricity and economic development in the region, especially in the agriculture community.”

The power plant Pruitt visited in Missouri is considered one of the coal plants most compliant with EPA pollution regulations. However, officials told Pruitt that Obama’s Clean Power Plan would have still closed the plant. The Clean Power Plan was Obama’s most aggressive climate change plan, which would have required states to cut carbon emissions by a third by 2030.

Barry Hart, executive vice president and CEO of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, said, “When EPA asked for comments from the public on its Clean Power Plan in 2013, Missouri electric cooperative members responded with more than 300,000 comments, all with a common theme: ‘Don’t raise our rates, and we want an all-of-the-above energy strategy that keeps electricity affordable and creates jobs.'” He added, “We are encouraged to see that the Trump administration understands the concerns of people in rural America and is committed to bringing the change they want.”