President Trump To Cut Renewable Energy Research By 72% In Favor Of ‘Clean Coal’

As any expert in the global energy market can attest, renewable energy is on the rise and fossil fuel is on the decline. This is a trend that follows the same patterns as what occurred in the industrial revolution and the information age. It’s simply progress and the fact that it’s good for the environment is a marked bonus. Unfortunately, President Donald Trump doesn’t see it that way, which is why he wants to cut the federal renewable research budget by 72 percent.

The budget cut details were obtained by The Washington Post via budget proposal draft documents. Once the documents are submitted to Congress, the Trump Administration would basically be asking the House to severely cripple research for advancements and innovation in what could likely be the next revolution.

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is basically responsible for researching new technology related to renewable energy and its uses. These include creating better solar cells for solar panels, battery storage, and electric cars.

Before the current administration came to power, practically every sector in the renewable energy sector was seeing staggering growth. Solar has even become the single largest jobs market in the U.S., beating nationwide economic average by a huge margin.

As TIME notes, renewable energy research also has a huge impact on national security because it means that there are fewer reasons to rely on foreign oil to power the country. Through the development of renewable energy technology, the U.S. can become a leading force in a burgeoning market and could even become an exporter of energy thanks to its vast landscape.

None of these seem to matter to the Trump administration, however, as it continues its path towards greater environmental damage. The current POTUS has repeatedly expressed support for the coal industry, which has been on the decline for decades. Experts have also noted that cutting the budget for renewable energy research is only going to hurt the clean power industry and won’t help fossil fuel.