With growing demand from AI, data centers, and everyday electricity use, America can’t afford to rely on just one or two power sources, which is a concern that’s raising alarms in the energy sector about overdependence on renewables.
Rachel Gleason, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, shone a light on the critical role coal still plays in America’s energy future and how the Trump administration is trying to bring it back into the spotlight.
Gleason, who has spent over a decade representing Pennsylvania’s coal industry, laid out a candid picture of coal’s current position. “We really only have two traditional coal-fired generators left in Pennsylvania,” she noted, adding that aggressive environmental regulations and market shifts have driven many others offline.
Much of the conversation centered around the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) a carbon tax program Gleason described as “anti-industry” and ineffective. “RGGI may have worked at one point, but at this point, it has exhausted its useful life,” she said, criticizing the program’s inability to support states’ real energy needs.
Gleason didn’t hold back when discussing the federal regulatory landscape either. “There are just a number of irresponsible policies,” she said, referencing the Clean Power Plan and upcoming EPA regulations that could further threaten Pennsylvania’s last big coal plants.
So, what’s the solution? According to Gleason, it’s not just about protecting coal, it’s about ensuring energy security. “At 2 o’clock in the morning on December 12th, it’s not going to be solar panels. And when natural gas is diverted to home heating, it’s not going to be natural gas,” she argued.
That’s where President Trump comes in. Gleason praised the administration’s recent moves, including executive orders aimed at “booting regulatory foot off the neck” of the coal industry. “It’s about sending market signals and restoring certainty,” she said.
As AI and data center demand surges, the conversation around reliable, base-load energy isn’t going away. And if Gleason’s perspective is any indicator, coal’s role in that future, despite its political baggage, is far from over.
