Donald Trump Creates More Roadblocks for Cheap, Reliable, Renewable Energy

Donald Trump’s Department of the Interior has effectively cut off federal land leases for renewable energy. The new rules require that leases can only be made if the renewable energy project can produce the same amount of energy as that of coal, gas, or nuclear per acre. Because solar and wind farms use more acreage than coal or gas plants, DOE’s new limitation creates an effective ban on new solar and wind projects on public lands. This rule does not account for the acreage used for coal mining and gas drilling or fracking, and also does not account for the significant, long-term environmental impacts from fossil production and burning.

Last year, renewable energy produced over 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, more than coal energy’s share, and it makes up the vast majority of energy waiting to be added to the grid. In the first full year of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the renewable energy sector added 142,000 new jobs, more than half of the energy industry’s total new jobs.

In response, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Director Laurie Williams issued the following response:

“In the last few years, our country witnessed remarkable and rapid progress in the renewable energy sector. Domestic solar energy production was at a historic high, and renewables were significantly out-producing dirty, expensive, outdated coal. This is all simply because clean wind and solar are cheaper than coal. All Americans benefited from the green economy by seeing lower energy bills, more stable and good-paying jobs, and less pollution in our air and water.

“If the Trump administration truly cared about the high cost of energy Americans are facing, they would be doing everything they could to unleash our nation’s abundant and free clean energy resources. It appears the administration only wants to walk back all this progress just so their buddies in the fossil fuel industry won’t lose out on profits. In other words, they are taking money out of hardworking Americans’ wallets, and giving it away to corporate polluter friends. This obstructionist agenda to put polluter profits before people will hurt everyday Americans and delay our path to energy independence. We will fight back against this attack on Americans’ financial security and our domestic renewable energy sector.”