National Coal Council Reestablishment Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time.

I rise today to speak in opposition to H.R. 3015. Coal is the dirtiest form of energy and also one of the most expensive.

Coal-fired power plants spew toxic pollutants into the air, including sulfur dioxide, mercury, lead, soot, and arsenic. These pollutants are disastrous for human health, causing neurological damage, lung cancer, and even premature death.

No one wants to breathe this stuff. That is why we closed all of the coal plants in California. You might remember acid rain. That was caused by coal plants. Acid rain didn't magically go away. We put in place regulations that limited basic toxic pollutants from coal, and that is what stopped acid rain.

The Trump administration even acknowledges this. Secretary Kennedy has spent his career railing against the coal energy and its pollution.

The Trump administration's ``Make America Healthy Again'' report celebrates the progress we have made in reducing toxic air pollution, progress we made in part by regulating coal mines.

However, now President Trump and Republicans are rolling back regulations on coal plants, preventing old coal plants from retiring and reestablishing the National Coal Council. They even gave a tax break to coal mining.

It is not just dangerous. It is expensive. Coal power is now 28 percent more expensive than it was just 4 years ago. In fact, it is often cheaper to build an entirely new solar power plant than it is just to keep a coal plant running. That is why nearly 800 coal power plants have been retired in the last 25 years. They are just too expensive, and we have cheaper, cleaner options.

I really thought that President Trump and Republicans campaigned on lowering costs. Well, more coal power means higher electric bills. I don't know about you, but I think Americans are already paying too much for electricity.

Once again, Republicans are selling out their own constituents to boost the profits of big, polluting corporations.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

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