US invests $700 million in coal sector

Washington (ANTARA) - The United States is investing $700 million (approximately Rp12.6 trillion) in the coal sector, primarily to maintain coal-fired power plants (PLTU), coal mines, and to finance the construction of new export terminals.

“The $700 million investment, which I am announcing today, will protect 14 power plants and 42 coal mines, as well as build two new power plants and one very large new export terminal,” said Trump at the White House, Washington D.C., USA, on Thursday (4/6).

This investment will help save more than 14,000 jobs in the United States, he added, and is expected to reduce electricity costs for American citizens by $50 billion (approximately Rp903 trillion). He also authorised his administration to begin producing what he described as “beautiful and clean coal.”

Previously, in April of the same year, Trump signed four executive orders to revitalise the coal mining industry and increase energy production. The first order instructed US federal departments and agencies to remove various discriminatory policies against the coal industry and revoke lease moratoriums that limit new coal projects on American lands.

The third order aims to enhance the security and reliability of the electrical grid by ensuring grid policies prioritise safe and effective energy production and transmission, rather than implementing policies that discriminate against coal and other fossil fuels. The fourth executive order requested the US Department of Justice to investigate and take action against “radical left” policies in Democrat-led states that discriminate against coal in ways deemed unconstitutional.