I’ve read that due to the abundance of natural gas, it’s simply not economical for companies to mine for coal or burn it. So I doubt many companies will be firing up new coal plants.
But then again, was that mainly because of regulations?
Coal is a bit of a side issue here, sure - it's not as economical in the US as it once was and is dying off in any case. This deregulation will extend the runtime of existing coal fired power as the regulations requiring rolling increases to carbon storage over time for coal power are being removed.
However regular oil and gas, which is expanding, is also having clean air regulations torn up:
* Reconsideration of regulations throttling the oil and gas industry
* Reconsideration of mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that imposed significant costs on the American energy supply (GHG Reporting Program)
* Reconsideration of Biden-Harris Administration Risk Management Program rule that made America’s oil and natural gas refineries and chemical facilities less safe (Risk Management Program Rule)
The first two allow for greater emissions during extraction and no requirement to record or report.
The third I threw in to highlight what appears to be fairly loaded language .. rolling back a Risk Management Program that made refineries less safe ?
That sounds like a strong opinion held by some refinery owners that really wanted a program tanked. I admit to not having looked into the details, but that does raise an eyebrow.
I’ve read that due to the abundance of natural gas, it’s simply not economical for companies to mine for coal or burn it. So I doubt many companies will be firing up new coal plants.
But then again, was that mainly because of regulations?