National Coal Council Reestablishment Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3015, the National Coal Council Reestablishment Act.

I have often said that coal is the energy of the future, and under the leadership of President Trump and this Congress, coal is rightfully back in favor in Washington, D.C.

Coal produced 16 percent of the electricity in this country last year, and it is one of the most reliable and affordable forms of energy that we have. It is imperative that we increase domestic production in order to meet our ever-increasing demand.

My home State of Wyoming is responsible for about 40 percent of the Nation's coal, producing 191 million tons of coal and shipping 171 million tons to 26 different States in 2024.

It is estimated that Wyoming has more than 165 billion tons of economically recoverable coal with over 1.4 trillion tons of total coal reserves.

Power demand is expected to increase by nearly 21 percent by 2030, and the AI sector will need 50 gigawatts of new electric capacity by 2028. Producing coal is the only way to meet this demand.

Federal policy must be designed to meet these new challenges, which is why reestablishing the National Coal Council within the Department of Energy is more important than ever.

Unfortunately, this longstanding Federal advisory committee was shuttered by the Biden administration in response to lawsuits filed by the very environmentalist NGOs spearheading the full-scale campaign against coal.

My colleague on the other side decries the cost of energy and states that it is because of coal and policies from the Republicans that are causing that increase. The increase in the cost of energy is solely the responsibility of the Democrats and their failed policies. They are the ones that have caused the increase in the electric rates by requiring the electric companies to include unreliable and unaffordable energy resources in their mix.

While they claim coal is an energy of the past, clearly that is not the case. Coal-fired power plants are the most reliable and cost- effective form of available energy that we have.

I will just give one example near Colorado Springs. The coal-fired power plant is approximately 300 acres in size. Across the highway is a solar field that is approximately 1,500 acres. The coal-fired power plant is 80 percent efficient. The solar field is approximately 20 percent efficient. The coal-fired power plant produces more than double the energy and the electricity that the solar field produces.

Luckily, the Trump administration restored the council in June of this year, and I applaud the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Rulli) for offering this bill to reaffirm President Trump's actions.

We need more coal, not less. But coal policy can be complex. Coal production falls within the jurisdiction of numerous oversight agencies, and it is governed by a series of mining and energy laws, regulatory agencies, and permitting requirements.

The National Coal Council will provide much-needed expertise, advice, and guidance related to effective coal policies.

An example of the council's importance can be found in the report that it issued in 2018 titled: ``Advancing U.S. Coal Exports.''

Although environmental NGOs have worked to reduce domestic coal production and use, our allies in Asia have an increasing demand for coal, confirming that export markets present a significant opportunity for States like Wyoming.

I again thank Mr. Rulli for his sponsorship and Chairman Guthrie for his committee leadership promoting strong energy policies.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill and to support the coal industry.

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