Republican Nominee Donald Trump is working to draw a contrast between himself and Hillary Clinton on energy policy this week with a new ad criticizing the Democratic nominee for her attacks on American energy producers.
“We are going to lift the restrictions on the production of American energy,” Trump says in the ad. “Our steel workers and our miners are going back to work again!”
Trump’s official campaign website specifically highlights the importance of deregulating the beleaguered coal industry. The campaign wrote that Trump will “save the coal industry and other industries threatened by Hillary Clinton’s extremist agenda,” by “canceling the Paris Climate Agreement and stopping all payments of U.S. tax dollars to U.N. global warming programs,” and by “lifting restrictions on American energy to increase economic output and wages.”
Continuing his so-called campaign “re-start”, Trump is also reminding voters of Clinton’s past anti-coal statements.
The former secretary of state has frequently expressed her desire to dismantle the coal industry in favor of “green” alternatives.
In a March 10 town hall on CNN, Clinton surprised many political observers when she exclaimed, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and a lot of coal companies out of business.”
As recently as August, Clinton has vowed to defend and “build on” Obama’s anti-coal “Clean Power Plan” if elected President, calling it a “significant step forward.”
The “war on coal,” as it is often called, has inflicted serious damage here in Alabama in recent years.
The “Clean Power Plan” has caused Alabamians electricity rates to rise, forced Alabama power to shut down coal units, and created some heart-breaking personal stories from the political war’s casualties.
RELATED: War on Coal hits home, Alabama Power forced to shut down coal units
In 2014, Alabama coal miner Walter Parker delivered emotional testimony during an EPA public hearing in Atlanta, Georgia.
No one is thinking about the burden my family and my co-workers will face if we no longer have a job, a steady paycheck, or if there are no more contributions to the UMWA health and retirement funds.
No one will care until the money runs out and the government… which is killing our jobs, must pay the price of unemployment benefits, welfare and public assistance, which is running rampant in our country today.
I am proud that I have been able to take care of my family because of the work I do. I am proud to be a miner. I have never asked for handouts from the people around me or from the government. I want to pay my own way. I want to work. I feel pride in my work. I want to be able to continue my profession and produce coal to power this nation. And I’m sorry that I get emotional, but I can’t help it.
While most Alabamians have not been directly impacted by the president’s energy agenda the way Mr. Parker has, all Yellowhammer State residents have felt the sting to some degree.
RELATED: Alabamians huge losers in Obama’s power plan
“Under the EPA rule, Alabamians’ average annual household energy bills could rise by more than $800 a year by the time the plan is fully implemented,” the Associated Press wrote in 2015. “This places an undue burden on those who can least afford it, including the poor, the elderly and others on fixed incomes. What’s more, it punishes as many as 16,000 Alabamians whose jobs are dependent upon the coal industry.”
Donald Trump’s latest video on the subject can be seen below.
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