Oct 10, 2017 3 min read

According to Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, “the war against coal is over.”

He broke away from planning the much-reported $25,000, soundproof telephone booth in his office long enough to tell coal miners in Hazard, Ky., Monday that the Trump administration would officially be scrapping the Clean Power Plan, which was designed to limit greenhouse gases coming from existing power plants.

This is hardly suprising, given the promises that President Trump made during his 2016 campaign and the announcement earlier this year that the administration wanted to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. Trump has denied any human role in climate change, going so far as to suggest that climate change is a hoax hatched by the Chinese to snatch away American jobs.

Yes, both the administration’s moves are setbacks for anyone who cherishes clean air or worries about the possibility of Miami and Manhattan being underwater a century from now. But there’s reason for optimism that cleaner, renewable sources of energy will ultimately win the day, and dirty, polluting energy sources will continue their inexorable march to history’s dustbin.

If you want a clear example of how the times they are a-changin’ when it comes to renewable energy, look no further than Washington High School’s football stadium, where 18 solar panels have been installed atop the fieldhouse. The solar panels will result in Washington School District getting a credit on its electric bill and will be a tool for teachers.

Solar panels have, simply put, become mainstream. Just a couple of generations ago they were considered prime exhibits of tree-hugging impracticality. When Ronald Reagan moved into the White House in 1981, it should be remembered, he had the solar panels that Jimmy Carter had installed unceremoniously taken off the building.

Then there are the economic realities that will bring wind, solar and other forms of clean energy to the fore. First, it’s where the jobs are. There are about 70,000 coal-mining jobs in the United States today, just about the capacity of Heinz Field. Meanwhile, there are about 650,000 people employed in industries built around renewable energy. And anyone hoping that rolling back the Clean Power Plan will lead to an avalanche of coal jobs is in for a rude awakening – most analysts believe that if there is an additional demand for coal, it will be extracted through such means as mountaintop removal and robots, not by human beings drawing paychecks and getting health care benefits.

Then, of course, there’s also natural gas, which burns cleaner than coal, has been a source of employment in this region and could well serve as a bridge toward a renewable future.

Although Trump has said that renewable energy is a “bad investment,” it’s something that the United States should not turn its back on if it wants to remain competitive in the world economy.

Mark Muro, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, should have the last word. He told the website TechCrunch earlier this year that “globally, this is a huge market. Truly making America great again is about capturing major positions in the major unfolding industries in the world. This is one where we have a clear path to a strong competitive position and it would be a shame to forego it.”