Debunking the “War on Coal”

In his recent State of the Union, President Trump claimed that “We have ended the war on American energy—and we have ended the war on beautiful, clean coal.” This has been a talking point for the president, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, and other politicians for several years. Is there any truth to the idea of a “war on coal”?

To mark the release of the Winter 2018 Issues in Science and Technology, Dan Sarewitz  introduces Charles Herrick and Ana Unruh Cohen to discuss how US greenhouse gas regulations affect the coal industry and other energy sectors. They looked at what other factors have led to a decline in the country’s coal use, and how these forces might shape US energy production in the future.

Charles Herrick, author of “President Obama’s War on Coal?” in the latest Issues in Science and Technology, is an adjunct faculty member at New York University and the retired chief operating officer and executive vice president of Stratus Consulting. Ana Unruh Cohen is the managing director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council, with nearly two decades of experience in energy and environmental policy.