The provided video transcript/text is not available, so it does not specify which rules it cites. Commonly referenced Trump‑era actions that supporters claim helped coal include Executive Order 13783 (Mar 2017), the repeal of the Obama Clean Power Plan and the 2019 Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, the Congressional Review Act repeal of the Stream Protection Rule (2017), and the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule (WOTUS) — all of which affected environmental or permitting authorities tied to coal operations.
Yes — there is documentary evidence that the Trump administration changed or repealed multiple federal rules and issued an energy‑focused executive order: EO 13783 (2017); repeal of the Clean Power Plan and promulgation of the Affordable Clean Energy rule (EPA, 2019); Congressional Review Act nullification of the Stream Protection Rule (2017); and the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (2020). These are official Federal Register, EPA, and congressional records.
U.S. coal production and coal‑fired electricity generation declined overall across the 2010s and continued to fall after 2019; generation hit multi‑decade lows in 2020 and remained well below its 2000s peak despite short term rebounds in some years. Primary data: EIA shows annual coal production falling from ~1,172 million short tons in 2008 to ~565 million short tons in 2020, with coal’s share of U.S. electricity falling from ~50% (2008) to ~20%–25% in recent years.
Coal‑sector employment has fallen substantially over decades; mining employment peaked mid‑20th century and declined as mechanization and market forces reduced jobs. EIA and BLS data show coal mining employment dropping from about 86,000 in 2011 to roughly 40,000–50,000 range in the late 2010s–early 2020s; precise yearly net job changes tied only to the cited federal actions are not attributable without more detailed economic analysis.
Yes. Federal agencies issued formal rule texts and guidance: EPA and the Army Corps published the ACE and the Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the Federal Register; the Federal Register records repeal of the Clean Power Plan and the EPA ACE rule text; Congress’s CRA action nullifying the Stream Protection Rule is published by GovInfo/Federal Register. Full texts are available on EPA and Federal Register websites.
Rolling back environmental rules can increase pollution risks: loosening emission guidelines or permitting limits can raise greenhouse‑gas and air‑pollutant emissions (SO2, NOx, particulates, mercury) and increase risks to water quality and public health near mines and power plants. Multiple studies and EPA risk assessments link higher coal combustion and weaker controls to worse air quality, health impacts (respiratory, cardiovascular), and water‑way harms.
State policies and market factors have been the dominant drivers of coal’s decline or limited recovery: low natural‑gas prices, growth of cheap wind and solar, state renewable/clean energy mandates, power‑market economics, and regional capacity all reduce coal demand. Federal rollbacks can ease regulatory burdens, but market fundamentals and state rules often determine whether coal plants operate or retire.