Washington, D.C. – Today, President Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. America’s Power President and CEO Michelle Bloodworth today issued the following statement in response:
“First, we congratulate President Donald J. Trump for being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Second, we thank President Trump for taking bold steps to address our nation’s energy supply. Bad policies and expensive regulations have driven up energy prices, made it more difficult to produce energy, and brought the electricity grid to the brink of a crisis. To maintain its position as a global leader, the U.S. must have affordable and abundant sources of energy, including coal.”
“Unfortunately, America is facing a potential crisis caused by a combination of exploding electricity demand to serve geopolitically important industries and the forced closure of dependable and affordable electricity sources. Utilities have announced plans to shut down more than 120 coal-fired electric generating units in 32 states over the next five years. These retiring coal units could provide more than 55,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power 55 million homes or more than 500 data centers. Over the same period when coal units are planning to close, electricity demand is expected to increase by almost 130,000 MW. The U.S. needs policies that will keep these coal units operating, rather than being forced to retire. In addition, we need a healthy supply chain that can produce and deliver the coal that is needed by power plants.”
“We look forward to working with President Trump’s administration and the new Congress to develop and implement policies that will make energy affordable, secure, and reliable.”