Document EvBKgJwRE0LJL7vwNq4ErJoXL

The Coal Win - Executive Summary In order to stimulate and sustain the coal industry, a new national initiative - The Coal Win - needs to be launched that focuses on restoring and growing clean coal-fired electric generation as part of the country's energy portfolio. In his promise to Make America Great Again, President-elect Trump stated very clear goals of bringing industry back to the U.S., providing incentives to keep manufacturers from leaving the country, improving public infrastructure, facilitating growth and putting people back to work. For long-term sustainability of his plan, aging coal-fired power plants must be replaced with clean coal generating facilities and the regulatory environment should help reinvigorate a coal industry that has been under attack for the past eight years. Fu/filling President Trump1s vision An increase in America's energy generating capacity to meet growing long-term manufacturing needs is central to fulfilling Predident Trump's vision and coal is an essential component of the equation. It is the most abundant, reliable electric generating fuel supply in America and one of the most cost-effective. Supplies from U.S. mines are enough to meet the nation's needs for more than 300 years, making it much less vulnerable to supply shortages and price spikes than other baseload power sources. Clean coal would stimulate the U.S. economy with a total investment of more than $585 billion in new facilities and would generate $61 billion dollars in new construction wages for 390,400 new jobs. In addition, hundreds of thousands of positions would be created and billions more in revenues realized across ancillary industries supporting new plant construction and plant operations. Environmental impact The problem at present is, most coal-fired facilities in the U.S. date to before 1980, meaning they were built to much lower emissions standards, and even after upgrades, are still inefficient and significant sources of air pollution. However, older coal generating plants being decommissioned can be replaced with clean coal technology that will extend the life of valuable utility assets and provide a broader societal benefit. Clean coal plants reduce emissions and create electricity far more efficiently than their predecessors. At present, 727 coal-fired power plants are in operation that came on line in the U.S. prior to 1980. Collectively they generate 207,673 megawatts of electricity. This entire capacity can be replaced by 190 clean coal power generation facilities. A viable solution This isn't pie-in-the-sky. The technology is proven and the blueprint exists in Plant Washington, a planned clean coal generation facility, permitted by the state of Georgia, which could serve as the first "replacement" plant and a model for the industry. The developer of Plant Washington proposes a national initiative in which the design criteria for the highly advanced facility would be shared in the public domain for use by utilities across the country. Replacing older plants with facilities built to Plant Washington's specifications would produce more electricity using less coal with significant environmental benefits of cleaner air and water. Collectively, the replacement facilities would reduce annual emissions: Sulfur dioxide by 73% Nitrogen oxide by 56.1% Carbon dioxide by 6.1% Mercury by as much as 90% Conclusion Restoring coal to its rightful place in America's energy portfolio, in which all generation sources are essential, is a winning strategy for several reasons. It will help the president-elect follow through on his campaign promises to voters across America and in the swing states that proved decisive in his election. Coal miners will be returning to work and manufacturers will be moving foreign operations back to U.S. soil while corporations with plans to relocate overseas will stay home in large part because of access to affordable and reliable power. 17cv01906 Sierra Club v. EPA ED_001523B_00000777-00001