Americans could face blackouts if coal plants continue to close, according to a West Virginia coal industry representative, who blamed the recent shutdowns on President Biden and his policies.
“If we have the kind of prolonged, extreme, freezing weather events this winter like we’ve had, we’re not going to be able to withstand that,” West Virginia Coal Association president Chris Hamilton told Fox News. “Regions of the country will face blackouts and blackouts for extended periods.”
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“It’s quite possible that we’ll find ourselves rationing electricity as well,” Hamilton said.
California officials told residents over the summer they should save electricity and warned they could face blackouts due to extreme heat stressing the power grid. Democrats blamed climate change for the intense heat, but critics such as The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board pointed out that liberal policies are shifting energy reliance on fossil fuels to less reliable renewable sources.
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The president of the West Virginia Coal Association says Biden’s energy policies and push to shut down coal plants are putting Americans at risk.
(Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Biden, at a campaign event in November, said that coal plants were too expensive and that his administration would “shut down these plants across the United States” to shift to renewable energy. Since 2009, when Biden became vice president, the United States has gone from almost 600 plants to 269 in 2021, according to the Energy Information Administration, a drop of nearly 55%.
Power outages are likely if we continue down this path of shutting down these plants, Hamilton said.
Coal is used to generate almost 22% of the country’s power in 2021, while all fossil fuels account for about 61%, according to the EIA. Meanwhile, less than a quarter of US electricity relied on renewable energy sources.
The White House rush to green power has put the “electric grid and the reliability of home and industrial power at risk,” Hamilton said. “We are entering the winter months now and our fleet of renewable, intermittent solar panels and windmills will not be able to pick up the load.”
Biden pledges to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030, moving away from fossil fuels toward wind and solar generation.
(Reuters/David Swanson)
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Since taking office, Biden has pledged to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and has pushed a climate agenda that moves the nation toward green energy and away from fossil fuels. The Environmental Protection Agency, for example, enacted rules to limit pollutants, created stricter waste disposal requirements and toughened air quality standards for coal-fired power plants, making it harder to stay in business.
“This president and members of Congress have received warning after warning that they are closing too many coal plants and with coal plants goes baseload generation,” Hamilton told Fox News. “There is a natural gravitation towards green energy, but it will take decades.”
To learn more about the impact Biden’s policies could have on the coal industry, click here.
