FirstEnergy Corp’s 2,460 megawatt Bruce Mansfield coal-fired plant in western Pennsylvania.
Credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty

As coal continues its irreversible decline, the Trump administration keeps trying new ways to prop up the industry.

In the administration’s latest effort to help the coal industry, the Department of Energy (DOE) is providing up to $38 million in funding for research into improving the performance and reliability of the nation’s existing coal-fired power plants.

The DOE’s decision to boost research funding for existing coal-fired power plants comes as coal’s share of the nation’s generation portfolio remains on the decline. In 2007, 28 states relied on coal as their primary electricity source. In 2018, coal is the top source for power generation in only 18 states.

Efforts by the Trump administration to reverse the diminishing fortunes of the coal industry are also occurring at a time when climate scientists are warning governments around the world to develop policies that will drastically reduce emissions from the burning of coal and other fossil fuels.

“This funding is in line with the Trump administration trying to […]