Former President Donald Trump vowed Monday to repeal a Biden administration rule that forces coal-fired power plants to either avoid their carbon dioxide emissions or shut them down to boost energy production if he is elected to the White House in November.
“I am announcing today that when I return to the White House, I will end this anti-American energy crusade and repeal Kamala’s so-called ‘power plant rule,'” the 78-year-old former president said.
“Instead of closing power plants, we will open dozens and dozens of new ones,” he vowed.
Speaking to around 400 supporters in York, Pennsylvania, Trump said the controversial EPA regulation on power plants perfectly illustrated the contrast between him and Vice President Kamala Harris: “Kamala stands for energy waste and factory destruction. I stand for the dominance of industry.”
“Kamala is waging a regulatory jihad to shut down power plants across America,” Trump said, describing his opponent’s energy policy in the 2024 election campaign.
The EPA rule, which a federal appeals court ruled was enforceable last month, would require coal-fired power plants to close if they cannot capture 90 percent of their carbon dioxide emissions starting in 2032.
“Since (Harris) took office, at least 50 existing power plants have been closed,” Trump accused. “They’re closing everything. That’s why we have blackouts in California.”
The Republican candidate also committed to “bringing modern, small modular nuclear reactors online” to meet America’s energy needs.
“We call them small nuclear power plants,” Trump said, describing nuclear energy as “ultra-safe” and “ultra-clean.”
SpaceX owner Elon Musk spoke about his passion for nuclear energy in an interview on X, in which Trump said the issue needed to be “relaunched.”
In a speech to factory workers at the Precision Custom Components manufacturing plant, Trump also announced that after taking office, he would enact the Defense Production Act to “ramp up capacity for critical products very quickly.” The goal is to have “100 percent American supply chains for all essential goods.”
The Trump administration had already invoked the Defense Production Act in the early days of the pandemic to increase the supply of COVID-19 medical drugs.
Trump reiterated comments from February and also said he would “stop Japan from buying American steel.”
“They don’t want to sell U.S. steel,” he said, saying that more steel in the U.S. would allow American manufacturers to make more products in the U.S.
He also announced that he would “remove China’s most-favored-nation status” and introduce a corresponding trade measure that would force other countries to pay high tariffs if they imposed their own tariffs on their products.
“You hurt us, we hurt you. An eye for an eye. That’s common sense,” the former president said.
Trump’s appearance in the Keystone State followed a campaign rally in Philadelphia earlier in the day at which vice presidential candidate JD Vance also appeared.
Polls show Trump and Harris in a neck-and-neck race in this key swing state, where 19 Electoral College votes are up for grabs in November.
