A new analysis from Resources for the Future, published by Econofact, breaks down the real costs of keeping coal-fired power plants running in the United States. Coal only generated 15% of US electricity in 2024, but it produced nearly half of the power sector's carbon dioxide emissions. The piece examines how rising electricity demand from data centers and climate change, combined with Trump administration policies like emergency orders and relaxed pollution rules, are slowing coal's decline. The article projects that if greenhouse gas standards are repealed, coal generation could continue at 200 TWh per year through 2050, locking in roughly 200 million metric tons of CO2 annually. It also covers the $1.4 billion in federal funding announced to extend coal plant lives and build new ones. For anyone tracking US grid emissions, this is a clear look at the policy and market forces that could keep coal on the system longer than expected.
