From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By David Blackmon

It seems safe to predict that Chris Wright is going to be a consistent newsmaker for the duration of his time as the nation’s secretary of Energy. Wright has never shied away from public controversy related to energy and climate policies, and this past week brought a good example.

During an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Wright talked about the “all of the above” energy source philosophy he shares with President Donald Trump, and emphasized that, when he says “all” energy sources, that is exactly what he means. In a direct 180-degree turn from the war on the nation’s domestic coal industry mounted by both Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, Wright told Bloomberg’s hosts the time has come to halt the closing of coal-fired power plants in the United States.

“Coal has been essential to the United States’ energy system for over 100 years,” Wright said. “It’s been the largest source of global electricity for nearly 100 years, and it will be for decades to come, so we need to be realistic about that.”

Wright pointed out that the U.S. under both Biden and Obama was on a path to shrink the coal power generation sector, an action he says has “made electricity more expensive and our grid less stable.” The Trump agenda to reindustrialize the American economy and end the shipping of the country’s heavy industries overseas to China and India depends on a growing abundance of reliable, affordable, 24/7 power generation that can only be provided by natural gas, coal, and less affordably, nuclear.

Admitting that a resurgence in the growth of coal power is unlikely, Wright adds “the best we can hope for in the short term is to stop the closure of coal power plants. No one has won by that action.” This could also include allowing regional grid managers to permit the reactivation of mothballed coal plants, but, at least in the near term, is unlikely to see permits issued for new, greenfield coal plants.

Michelle Bloodworth, president and CEO of America’s Power, told me in an email that “Secretary Wright is correct that affordable, reliable, and secure energy should be the goal, and coal can deliver on all of those fronts. Energy demand is skyrocketing, and shutting down coal plants before replacement sources can be brought online would be a disaster for the American power grid and the economy.”

Pointing to Trump’s executive order declaring a national energy emergency, Bloodworth urged EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to move to rewrite heavy-handed Biden-era regulations that have led to the premature closing of a large number of coal plants, diminishing grid stability in the process. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Trump Administration to ensure coal can continue to support our country’s growing energy needs for years and years to come,” she added.

Michelle Manook, CEO of the global trade group FutureCoal, points out that the U.S. is home to an unrivaled abundance of coal resources, and that advanced technologies are now capable of removing 99% of real pollutants in modern power plants. “The question for US policymakers and the nation’s value chain, with its still 400 years of reserves, is this: Will you lead the modernization and reindustrialization of this critical resource?” she told me.

For Wright, reindustrialization of the U.S. economy is the key driver of the need for more power generation from every source.

“The goal is just affordable, reliable, secure energy from wherever that comes from,” he told Bloomberg, noting that solar (but, interestingly, not wind) will also have a role in power generation into the future.

“We’re not going to go down the road of Germany,” Wright added. “They spent a half a trillion dollars, they more than doubled their price of electricity, they actually shrunk the total amount of electricity the country produces by about 20% – and their industry is fleeing the country. That’s the path the United States was starting to go down, but that’s the wrong path.”

It’s a new day in American power generation. Coal is in, wind is out and reindustrialization is the goal. Climate alarmists will scream disaster, but for millions of others, it’s all a long-awaited breath of fresh air.

David Blackmon is an energy writer and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.

  MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Trump administration has officially ended a Biden-era review that threatened restrictions on gas stoves, marking a decisive victory for consumer choice and energy freedom. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) confirmed it will no longer pursue regulations targeting gas-powered stovetops, shutting down a controversial effort spearheaded by Biden-appointed officials.

Key Details:

• CPSC acting chairman Peter Feldman stated the agency is “out of the gas-stoves-banning business” and reaffirmed that the federal government should not dictate household appliance choices.
• The Biden administration’s push to scrutinize gas stoves began in 2023, triggering widespread backlash from consumers, lawmakers, and industry leaders.
• President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to reverse Biden-era energy efficiency regulations and protect Americans’ freedom to choose their appliances.

Diving Deeper:

The Biden administration’s quiet war on gas stoves became public in early 2023 when then-CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. suggested that gas stoves posed a “hidden hazard” and floated the possibility of banning them. His remarks ignited a firestorm of opposition, with critics decrying the move as government overreach. While the CPSC later claimed it was merely seeking public input on the matter, the review process persisted for nearly two years, leaving open the possibility of future regulatory action.

However, that possibility is now dead. CPSC acting chairman Peter Feldman, appointed after President Trump’s inauguration, told the Washington Free Beacon that the agency has no intention of banning gas stoves. “In electing President Trump, the American people spoke loudly that the United States has no business telling American families how to cook their meals,” Feldman stated, effectively closing the door on any federal intervention against gas appliances.

The decision is another major blow to climate activists and progressive Democrats who have sought to phase out gas stoves in favor of electric alternatives. Several Democrat-led states, including New York, have already implemented bans on gas appliances in new constructions, citing environmental concerns. But at the federal level, Trump’s administration is taking swift action to roll back Biden-era regulatory overreach.

On his first day back in office, President Trump signed an executive order protecting consumers’ rights to choose their household appliances, part of his broader push to restore energy independence and dismantle Biden’s green energy mandates. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a vocal opponent of the gas stove crackdown, praised the move, noting that left-wing activists were behind the initial push for restrictions. Cruz’s Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, introduced in 2023, sought to prevent any future attempts at a federal ban.