[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2743-S2744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENERGY
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, 12 years ago, Barack Obama drew a target
on the back of American energy producers and, specifically, coal. Coal
mines were under attack by the Obama administration, and his deliberate
goal was to kill clean, affordable coal--the most available, reliable,
secure source of energy we have in this Nation.
He tried to do it by shutting down coal mines all across the Nation
and do it by shutting down coal powerplants that use that coal. And one
of the targets that he painted on the back was that of the Dave
Johnston Power Plant in Converse County, WY.
Now, the Dave Johnston Power Plant uses Wyoming coal. Our coal is
some of the cleanest, most affordable, most available, most reliable
coal in the world. It is low-sulfur coal. People around the world want
to use Wyoming coal in coal-fired powerplants. It supports hundreds of
good-paying jobs. It delivers affordable, available, reliable energy
all across the Rocky Mountain West.
Obama wanted to take a sledgehammer to coal powerplants and,
specifically, to the Dave Johnston Power Plant in Wyoming, and it was
scheduled to close at the end of 2027.
Now, fortunately, the Trump administration has reversed the
Democrats' harmful, heavyhanded regulations. The Dave Johnston Plant
will keep its doors open. The jobs will be protected. The power it
produces will continue to keep the lights on for families across the
West. This is the difference between Democrats and Republicans.
We just heard the minority leader come to the floor and talk about
costs. Well, let me tell you, Democrats love
[[Page S2744]]
high energy costs because they don't want people to use fossil fuels.
They think the higher the energy cost, the fewer fossil fuels will be
used. And that is their worshipping of the climate god that they have
continued to worship.
That is where we are today. Democrats want coal to remain in the
ground. They want to treat coal as something to be punished, taxed,
regulated, eliminated.
Here is the difference. Republicans understand national security
begins with energy security.
When Joe Biden was President, he told his EPA--his Environmental
Protection Agency--to prioritize climate over energy that is
affordable, available, and reliable, used by the American people.
President Trump and Republicans see it differently. We put American
families and American workers first.
Coal is a key economic driver in Wyoming. Wyoming produces nearly
half of the coal in the United States. Wyoming truly is America's
energy breadbasket. In Wyoming, the royalties, the taxes from mining
their coal pays for education for every child in the State.
Coal mining provides jobs for Wyoming workers. These are good-paying,
high-tech jobs.
When powerplants know that they will stay open, when they have that
commitment, as they do now from President Trump, our coal producers can
plan, can invest, and can produce.
President Trump's actions are going to bring down costs for American
families.
And it is not just Americans who want Wyoming coal. Our allies
overseas, especially in Asia, want it.
Last week, President Trump made a historic announcement. He announced
a $75 million investment to support building the West Gateway Terminal
Project in Oakland, CA. This facility will expand America's ability to
export coal. It is also going to support good mining jobs.
Wyoming's Governor, Mark Gordon, joined President Trump in the Oval
Office for the announcement. Governor Gordon told the President about
his recent trips to Japan and Taiwan. Japan and Taiwan want American
coal. They need it to keep their lights on, and they need it to power
their own economies.
We have needed a new port and a facility like this on the west coast
for a long, long time. One was supposed to be built 13 years ago, and
the location was Oakland, CA.
What happened? Well, environmental extremists protested. They blocked
the project. They sued. A decade of lawsuits followed.
This is no surprise to the Presiding Officer. You have seen these
sorts of things.
The case went all the way to California's Supreme Court, and,
finally, the court ruled with the people that want to develop the port.
We need it. It is legal, now approved by the court.
So the new West Gateway Terminal has now been approved and is ready
to move forward.
With support from President Trump and the Trump administration,
Wyoming coal will soon reach hungry Asian markets. This is what
unleashing American energy really looks like. Clean Wyoming coal is the
best in the world, and now it is going to continue to help power the
world.
Democrats talk like coal lives only in the past. They are wrong. Coal
is the lifeblood of an affordable, prosperous future.
Demand for energy continues to grow. We need more energy, not less,
and Wyoming coal is there to deliver. And I am grateful that President
Trump is doing what he is doing.
Wyoming's energy workers and our coal communities now have the
certainty that they need to do what they do best, and that is to power
the country with coal--coal that is affordable, available, reliable--a
secure source of energy for a long, long time to come.
With the President's historic announcement, last week, the President
continues to put American workers, American families, and American
energy dominance first.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________