Former Vice President Joe Biden said during the presidential debate on Tuesday night that, under his administration, the country will not build any more coal or oil plants in America.
“Nobody’s going to build another coal-fired plant in America. No one’s going to build another oil-fired power plant in America. They’re going to move to renewable energy,” Biden said.
Biden’s promise that the country will not create a new coal or oil plant under his administration would significantly impact America’s coal mining industries.
However, to alleviate that transition from coal and oil plants, Biden said that he would invest in those communities. Biden’s climate plan would:
Invest in coal and power plant communities and other communities impacted by the climate transformation. Each of these communities are necessary. We can’t write them off or act like they don’t matter. Each has assets that can be leveraged to diversify their economies, create good, middle class jobs, and help the country get stronger – assets like a rich culture, natural beauty, a proven workforce, and entrepreneurial spirit.
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To support coal and power plant workers and their communities, President Biden will make an unprecedented investment building upon the vision put forward in the Obama-Biden Administration’s Power+ Plan. And, he’ll establish a Task Force on Coal and Power Plant Communities, as the Obama-Biden Administration did for Detroit when the auto industry was in turmoil. For example, the Task Force will help these communities access federal investments and leverage private sector investments to help create high-paying union jobs based upon the unique assets of each community, partner with unions and community colleges to create training opportunities for these new jobs, repair infrastructure, keep public employees like firefighters and teachers on the payroll, and keep local hospitals open.
Dan O’Donnell, a Wisconsin radio host, said that Biden’s plan to avoid building coal and oil plants would “kill” Biden in Pennsylvania.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.