Trump signs executive orders to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source

Trump signs executive orders to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source
US President Donald Trump speaks next to coal industry workers, on the day he signs energy-related executive orders at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 09 April 2025
Follow

Trump signs executive orders to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source

Trump signs executive orders to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source
  • “Pound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure and powerful form of energy,” Trump says

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline.
Under the four orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising US power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars.
Trump also directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on US lands.
Trump, a Republican, has long promised to boost what he calls “beautiful” coal to fire power plants and for other uses, but the industry has been in decline for decades.
“I call it beautiful, clean coal. I told my people, never use the word coal unless you put beautiful, clean before it,” Trump said at the White House signing ceremony where he was flanked by coal miners in hard hats. Several wore patches on their work jackets that said “coal.”
“Pound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure and powerful form of energy,” Trump said. “It’s cheap, incredibly efficient, high density, and it’s almost indestructible.”
Trump’s orders also direct Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to “acknowledge the end” of an Obama-era moratorium that paused coal leasing on federal lands and require federal agencies to rescind policies transitioning the nation away from coal production. And they seek to promote coal and coal technology exports, and accelerate development of coal technologies.
Trump has long championed coal
Trump, who has pushed for US “energy dominance” in the global market, has long suggested that coal can help meet surging electricity demand from manufacturing and the massive data centers needed for artificial intelligence.
“We’re ending Joe Biden’s war on beautiful, clean coal once and for all,” he said Tuesday. “All those plants that have been closed are going to be opened, if they’re modern enough, (or) they’ll be ripped down and brand new ones will be built. And we’re going to put the miners back to work.”
In 2018, during his first term, Trump directed then-Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take “immediate steps” to bolster struggling coal-fired and nuclear power plants, calling it a matter of national and economic security.
At that time, Trump also considered but didn’t approve a plan to order grid operators to buy electricity from coal and nuclear plants to keep them open. Energy industry groups — including oil, natural gas, solar and wind power — condemned the proposal, saying it would raise energy prices and distort markets.
The national decline of coal
Energy experts say any bump for coal under Trump is likely to be temporary because natural gas is cheaper, and there’s a durable market for renewable energy such as wind and solar power no matter who holds the White House.
Trump’s administration has targeted regulations under the Biden administration that could hasten closures of heavily polluting coal power plants and the mines that supply them.
Coal once provided more than half of US electricity production, but its share dropped to about 16 percent in 2023, down from about 45 percent as recently as 2010. Natural gas provides about 43 percent of US electricity, with the remainder from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.
The front line in what Republicans call the “war on coal” is in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, a sparsely populated section of the Great Plains with the nation’s largest coal mines. It’s also home to a massive power plant in Colstrip, Montana, that emits more toxic air pollutants such as lead and arsenic than any other US facility of its kind, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA rules finalized last year could force the Colstrip Generating Station to shut down or spend an estimated $400 million to clean up its emissions within the next several years. Another Biden-era proposal, from the Interior Department, would end new leasing of taxpayer-owned coal reserves in the Powder River Basin.
Changes and promises under Trump
Trump vowed to reverse those actions and has named Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to lead a new National Energy Dominance Council. The panel is tasked with driving up already record-setting domestic oil and gas production, as well as coal and other traditional energy sources.
The council has been granted sweeping authority over federal agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation. It has a mandate to cut bureaucratic red tape, enhance private sector investments and focus on innovation instead of “unnecessary regulation,” Trump said.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, meanwhile, has announced a series of actions to roll back environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants.
In all, Zeldin said he’s moving to roll back 31 environmental rules, including a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for US action against climate change.
Coal industry applauds, but environmental groups warn of problems
Industry groups praised Trump’s focus on coal.
“Despite countless warnings from the nation’s grid operators and energy regulators that we are facing an electricity supply crisis, the last administration’s energy policies were built on hostility to fossil fuels, directly targeting coal,” said Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association.
Trump’s executive actions “clearly prioritize how to responsibly keep the lights on, recognize the enormous strategic value of American-mined coal and embrace the economic opportunity that comes from American energy abundance,” Nolan said.
But environmental groups said Trump’s actions were more of the same tactics he tried during his first term in an unsuccessful bid to revive coal.
“What’s next, a mandate that Americans must commute by horse and buggy?” asked Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“Coal plants are old and dirty, uncompetitive and unreliable,” Kennedy said, accusing Trump and his administration of remaining “stuck in the past, trying to make utility customers pay more for yesterday’s energy.”
Instead, she said, the US should do all it can to build the power grid of the future, including tax credits and other support for renewable energy such as wind and solar power.


Germany’s Merz: EU to tighten sanctions on Russia if no progress on Ukraine this week

Germany’s Merz: EU to tighten sanctions on Russia if no progress on Ukraine this week
Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Germany’s Merz: EU to tighten sanctions on Russia if no progress on Ukraine this week

Germany’s Merz: EU to tighten sanctions on Russia if no progress on Ukraine this week
Merz said EU leaders had agreed with Zelensky that he could take part in talks with Russia
“I believe more compromise and more concessions are no longer reasonable“

BERLIN: The European Union is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if progress on ending the war in Ukraine is not made this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday, adding a new package of sanctions was prepared.

“We are waiting for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s agreement and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at European level for a significant tightening of sanctions,” Merz said at a news conference with his Greek counterpart.

“We will be looking at other areas, such as the energy sector and also the financial market,” he said.

Merz said EU leaders had agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he could take part in talks with Russia in Istanbul this week on the condition that Russian bombardment and attacks on civilians in Ukraine must stop.

While saying he admired Zelensky’s willingness to compromise if it could help a ceasefire, Merz added:

“I believe more compromise and more concessions are no longer reasonable,” said Merz.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the EU must be at the center of any peace settlement.

Putin ‘doesn’t dare’ meet Zelensky in Istanbul: EU’s Kallas

Putin ‘doesn’t dare’ meet Zelensky in Istanbul: EU’s Kallas
Updated 54 min 16 sec ago
Follow

Putin ‘doesn’t dare’ meet Zelensky in Istanbul: EU’s Kallas

Putin ‘doesn’t dare’ meet Zelensky in Istanbul: EU’s Kallas
  • The meeting set for Thursday in Istanbul would be the first direct negotiations
  • Zelensky has urged Putin to personally attend the talks

COPENHAGEN: The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Tuesday she didn’t think Russian President Vladimir Putin would turn up for talks in Turkiye this week with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The meeting set for Thursday in Istanbul would be the first direct negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials since the early months of Moscow’s invasion in 2022.

Zelensky has urged Putin to personally attend the talks that the Kremlin leader himself suggested, but Moscow has so far declined to respond to the invitation.

“I think it’s a good move if they sit down,” Kallas told a democracy conference in Copenhagen, adding: “But I don’t think he dares, Putin.”

“It has been over two months since Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire,” she said.

“Russia is clearly playing games, trying to find time, hoping that time is on their side. We haven’t seen any good efforts or good signs from their side.”

Ukraine said Tuesday that a Putin no-show would be a clear sign that Moscow is not serious about peace.

“If Vladimir Putin refuses to come to Turkiye, it will be the final signal that Russia does not want to end this war, that Russia is not willing and not ready for any negotiations,” Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said in a statement.


How Western aid cuts deepen Afghan women’s crisis

How Western aid cuts deepen Afghan women’s crisis
Updated 13 May 2025
Follow

How Western aid cuts deepen Afghan women’s crisis

How Western aid cuts deepen Afghan women’s crisis
  • Foreign aid empowers Afghan women through funding, training, market access
  • Entrepreneurs say sudden cuts force women-led businesses to close

KABUL: Afghan women entrepreneurs who have carved out spaces of independence for themselves and others, despite sweeping Taliban restrictions, are facing the collapse of their businesses as Western donors abruptly cut the aid they once pledged.

The rights of Afghan women have been curtailed since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Barred from secondary schools and higher education, restricted in public places and not allowed to take up most of the jobs, women have been turning to private entrepreneurship to empower themselves and others.

Aid from Western countries, which have been pressuring the Taliban to uphold women’s rights, has been especially vital in sustaining these female-led initiatives.

The sudden reduction in funding, which started with massive US aid cuts since January, has already affected Afghan healthcare and essential services and is now taking a toll on the very group the West once vowed to support.

“Women’s economic activities have been severely affected by the reduction in international aid. Reduced financial support has led to fewer training and development opportunities, and in some cases international partners that previously provided resources or markets have suspended or ceased their activities,” Behnaz Saljoqi, head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Herat, told Arab News.

International humanitarian aid has played a key role in empowering women entrepreneurs by providing not only direct support but also training, networking opportunities, microfinance, access to foreign markets, and sponsorship for exhibitions.

“This support not only helped women acquire technical and managerial skills, but also gain greater confidence to participate in the labor market and society. Without this support, many women would not even consider starting a business,” Saljoqi said.

“If the situation continues or worsens, the working environment for women will become increasingly difficult … The empowerment process that began in previous years will be reversed.”

Bahar Anwari, who runs Bahar Canvas Art Gallery in Kabul, is already observing a decline in her business as her usual customers — women — are no longer placing orders.

“With the reduction of development projects, things changed in the country,” she said.

“The purchasing power of people, especially women, has become very low. Employment opportunities became scarce, and most women lost their jobs, and poverty is growing every day. We will have to shut down our workshops and sit at home doing nothing.”

For Afghan women entrepreneurs, doing business means not only helping to sustain their own households but also contributing to society and creating opportunities for others like them.

International support has played a key role in making it possible.

“Women in Afghanistan largely depend on financial support from family and international organizations. While establishing my company, I also received some funds from a development organization, without which it would have been very difficult to set up the business,” said Parisa Elhami, director of fashion brand Watan Collection.

“Being in business as a woman gave me the strength and confidence to maintain my social standing despite the limitations. Business allowed me to be independent and provide employment opportunities for other women.”

The foreign aid cuts, especially from Afghanistan’s main donor, the US — which invaded the country in 2001 and spent billions of dollars on two decades of military and development operations — have already disrupted basic services such as healthcare, education, and food distribution.

Women, whose social role US humanitarian agencies earlier promoted, face losing their place in society, together with the collapsing businesses.

“The presence of women in economic and social spheres is vital. It not only contributes to economic growth, but also contributes to social justice and the overall progress of society,” Elhami told Arab News.

“The decline in international aid, especially from the US, has forced many women-run companies to close or reduce their staff … If the economic situation and global aid levels continue at the same pace or worse, the future of women’s business will be seriously threatened. Many businesses will disappear and women’s access to economic, health and educational opportunities will be severely limited.”


UN chief pleads with countries to pay their share for peacekeeping, points to financial problems

UN chief pleads with countries to pay their share for peacekeeping, points to financial problems
Updated 13 May 2025
Follow

UN chief pleads with countries to pay their share for peacekeeping, points to financial problems

UN chief pleads with countries to pay their share for peacekeeping, points to financial problems
  • UN’s peackeeping department currently leads 11 operations, in countries including Lebanon, South Sudan, Congo others
  • “Peacekeeping operations have been facing serious liquidity problems,” said Guterres

BERLIN: UN Secretary-General António Guterres told countries that the world body’s peacekeeping operation is “only as strong as member states’ commitment to it” as he pleaded with them Tuesday to pay their share.

The United Nations’ peackeeping department currently leads 11 operations, in countries including Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.

The budget for nine of those operations during the fiscal year that ends on June 30 totals $5.6 billion, 8.2 percent lower than a year earlier. Each of the UN’s 193 member countries is legally obliged to pay its share toward peacekeeping.

Guterres argued that, with a budget “representing a tiny fraction of global military spending — around one half of one percent — UN Peacekeeping remains one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to build international peace and security.”

“But it’s only as strong as member states’ commitment to it,” he added at the opening of a two-day, German-hosted conference of ministers to discuss the future of peacekeeping.

“Unfortunately, peacekeeping operations have been facing serious liquidity problems. It is absolutely essential that all member states respect their financial obligations, paying their contributions in full and on time.”

Guterres didn’t offer details of the problems, but acknowledged that “these are tough times for the financing of our work across the board.”

More broadly, the UN has been scrambling to respond to funding cuts for aid operations from its biggest donor, the United States, under President Donald Trump’s administration.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that his country, like many others, “is prepared to pledge additional resources” for peacekeeping. But he said there should also be an effort to make missions “more efficient and more focused” through clearer mandates, cutting back on bureaucracy and avoiding duplication.


Philippine ex-president Duterte wins mayoral election from ICC detention

Philippine ex-president Duterte wins mayoral election from ICC detention
Updated 13 May 2025
Follow

Philippine ex-president Duterte wins mayoral election from ICC detention

Philippine ex-president Duterte wins mayoral election from ICC detention
  • Duterte was mayor of Davao for more than 20 years before becoming president
  • Local residents credit him with creating a peaceful, safe and livable city 

MANILA: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won the mayoral election in his home city by a landslide, poll results showed on Tuesday, despite his detention at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

Duterte won another term as mayor of Davao City with more than 662,000 votes, which is about 85 percent of the total and eight times more than his closest rival. 

In ICC custody since March, Duterte is awaiting trial over the “war on drugs” campaign during his time as president in 2016-22, which the court estimates resulted in the extrajudicial killings of 30,000 Filipinos.

But even from a jail cell halfway across the world, his legacy as mayor of Davao for more than two decades before becoming president lives on, enough for his supporters to show up in masses at the polls. 

“He is the father figure for most Davaoenos (people of Davao). He is largely credited for the peace and order in the city, which is far better than anywhere else,” Davao resident and former journalist Allan Afdal Dawal told Arab News. 

“Things worked and people can walk in the busy streets without being pickpocketed or robbed. For example, Agdao was a gangland until the ’90s. Now it’s a bustling commercial district,” he said. “As for his ICC case, most people believed he would eventually be exonerated as the charges were seen as trumped up.” 

Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office, unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals. 

Duterte, 80, first became mayor of Davao in 1988, at a time when the city was plagued by violence, insurgency and gang warfare. 

“Davao’s peace and order situation in the ’80s was unimaginable. When PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) took over, it was a miraculous 360-degree turn. He ruled with an iron fist but made Davaoenos feel safer,” Davao native Jojie told Arab News. 

Davao, the third most-populated city in the Philippines, has since topped global lists of safest and most livable cities across Asia. 

In Duterte, the people of Davao remember a leader who is approachable and relatable. 

“He’s very different from the typical politician who’s like ‘high and mighty’ or usually has a lot of bodyguards … So many of the people here felt that finally, there’s someone who is ‘one of them,’” business owner May Ann told Arab News. 

People often saw him in public spaces, including driving a taxi around the city. Interacting with Duterte, who locals call Digong, was a normal occurrence that made people “feel like they know him personally and have a close connection with him,” she added. 

“I used to volunteer at a halfway home for children with cancer, and he would always be there on Survivors’ Day. Even though I knew about the EJKs (extrajudicial killings), many of us overlooked it because of what he had done for the city.”

Duterte’s deadly anti-drugs campaign has been the subject of international investigation for years, leading to his arrest in March. He has repeatedly defended the crackdown and denied the extrajudicial killing of alleged drug suspects, although he has also openly admitted to instructing police to kill in self-defense.

He could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC. But while his legal fate remains uncertain, Duterte could still take his oath as mayor despite being behind bars. 

“If I were President Duterte, I will ask ICC to be given the chance to take an oath of office as elected mayor of Davao before an official of the Philippines’ consulate to make more official his victory. Though it could be a long shot, depends on his lawyers’ arguments,” election lawyer Romy Macalintal told Arab News. 

“In his absence, the vice mayor will act as mayor ... The elected vice mayor is his son.”