After rolling back Obama-era regulations with an executive order, President Donald Trump and conservatives across the country are claiming a much-needed victory for the Republican Party and the coal industry that once flourished in Southern Illinois.
Environmental Protection Agency regulations destroyed many working-class Americans and this executive order is expected to save an estimated 100,000 coal mining jobs across the country, which could save the coal industry, Stephen Moore, chief economist for Heritage Foundation – a public policy think tank – said recently on The Morning Answer radio show.
“This country was built on coal and it’s one of our most reliable forms of energy," Moore said. "Obama had an eight-year jihad against the coal industry."
The Morning Answer is hosted by Dan Proft, who also is a principal of Local Government Information Services, which owns this publication. Moore appeared on the show to talk about Trump’s order, tax reform and health care.
Three of the five biggest coal companies in the U.S. under Barack Obama’s presidency went bankrupt due to stringent regulations and low natural gas prices, Moore said, but another reason coal has not been popular is because most people think it is bad for the environment. That's not right, he said.
“We’ve made incredible progress in terms of reducing all emissions," he said. "We have the cleanest coal in the world."
He thinks Obama's decision to invest in renewable energy was a mistake.
“This lunatic idea that somehow we’re going to power an $18 trillion industrial economy with windmills is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said.
The Trump administration is working away on a number of other issues. Tax reform is next, and Moore believes moderate Democrats may come to the table if infrastructure spending is added to the deal. He also said the fight to repeal and replace Obamacare is not over.
“Why don’t we just try the free enterprise system for health care?" he said. "The two industries in America where prices are out of control, where people cannot afford the services, are in education and health care and those are the two industries that are dominated by government."
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