On Friday, with the Obama administration’s announcement that the Interior Department will halt new coal leases on public lands, Mr. Obama acknowledged that his climate change polices are hurting American miners and began offering ways to ease that economic harm.
As Mr. Obama has sought a legacy in tackling climate change, his top target has been the burning of coal for electricity — the nation’s largest source of planet-warming emissions.
New rules could freeze construction of new coal plants, shutter existing plants, limit United States investment in foreign plants — and with Friday’s move, keep coal in the ground.
