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In the final days before the midterm elections, President Biden made sure there would be little doubt about his vision for America's coal industry.
"We're going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power," Biden said at an event in California last Friday, adding that this shift will save utility companies "a hell of a lot of money" because "it's cheaper to generate electricity from wind and solar than it is from coal and oil."
"No one is building new coal plants because they can't rely on it," he said.
These comments drew criticism not only from Republicans, but from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The senator, whose state still generates roughly 90% of its electricity from coal, called the president's comments "outrageous and divorced from reality."
"Being cavalier about the loss of coal jobs for men and women in West Virginia and across the country who literally put their lives on the line to help build and power this country is offensive and disgusting," Manchin said. "The president owes these incredible workers an immediate and public apology."
In response to this backlash, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement on Saturday saying that Biden's remarks regarding the US's green energy transition had been "twisted to suggest a meaning that was not intended."
"He is determined to make sure that this transition helps all Americans in all parts of the country, with more jobs and better opportunities," she said of the president. "It's a commitment he has advanced since day one. No one will be left behind."
While Biden's comments may have come as a surprise to Sen. Manchin, the US is well on its way to phasing out the use of coal as an energy resource. Nearly one-third of the country's coal plants have been shut down since 2008. And August's Inflation Reduction Act, which Manchin ultimately supported, included $369 billion in energy and climate spending, and is expected to only further accelerate the shift towards renewables and away from fossil fuels.
While President Biden is unlikely to use his authority to directly shut down US coal plants, legislation like the IRA undoubtedly lays the groundwork for a shift away from the industry moving forward. The Biden administration has said coal miners who lose their jobs will be able to find work in the green energy industry, but it remains to be seen how smooth this transition will be.
The President clearly believes it is a transition worth making, however. Even before oil and gas prices surged earlier this year, solar and wind energy was already cheaper to produce. And cheaper energy production could mean more affordable energy for Americans. Biden, for instance, has said a transition to renewables would save the average family "a minimum of $500 a year."
