Andy Li, andy.li@sierraclub.org
ATLANTA (April 10, 2025) – On April 8, President Donald Trump signed executive orders in an attempt to bolster coal production in the United States.
Trump’s executive orders aim to force coal plants to remain open past their scheduled retirement dates by invoking an outdated wartime law that allows the Department of Energy to compel power plants to temporarily remain operational. Trump attempted a similar strategy during his first administration, but failed.
By extending the lifespan of coal-fired power plants that are already scheduled to retire and placing aggressive tariffs on renewable energy, Trump’s policies will raise monthly energy bills for everyday Americans. On average, renewable energy costs 30 percent less than coal for the same energy output.
Southern Company and each of its operating companies– Alabama Power, Mississippi Power, and Georgia Power– have scored incredibly low since the inaugural release of the Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges in 2021. Georgia Power itself scored 0 out of 100 points in the 2024 report.
Georgia Power has consistently shown it wants customers to pay for aged, inefficient coal plants well past their planned retirements, continuing the toxic pollution created by these plants and increasing reliance on methane gas and its volatile prices. Its 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) proposes extending the operation of power plants that burn coal in addition to the previously approved build-out of new fossil gas units.
In response, Lexy Doherty, Campaign Organizing Strategist, released the following statement:
“Trump is using an outdated law to prop up an outdated industry. We know coal is expensive and unreliable. We know it will jack up electric bills for everyday people. We know coal contributes to the ongoing climate crisis. Georgians already suffer some of the highest energy bills in the nation, but utilities like Georgia Power want them to pay even more to keep these toxic coal plants online. The facts are clear- clean energy is the safest, most affordable, and most reliable way to lower energy bills. As the Georgia Public Service Commission considers Georgia Power’s IRP, the Sierra Club will continue to advocate for a clean, safe energy future for all of Georgia.”
Since 2009, Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign has successfully advocated for the retirement of 389 coal-fired power plants. Last year, coal production fell to a historic low, making up only 15 percent of U.S. electricity generation. Meanwhile, renewable energy has rapidly overtaken coal and made up nearly a quarter of the U.S. grid in 2024.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.