Today, the Department of Energy announced a $625 million effort in retrofitting aging coal plants.

The Trump administration has slashed billions of dollars in clean energy investments and issued multiple stop work orders on clean energy projects, while exempting toxic, dirty coal plants from lifesaving guardrails.

In response, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Director Laurie Williams issued the following statement:

“Rather than investing in affordable and clean energy, Chris Wright is taking taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars and giving it to wealthy executives in the coal industry. This is a transparent wealth transfer from everyday Americans, who are already making tough decisions at the kitchen table, to the millionaires that run the fossil fuel industry. If Chris Wright, or anyone in Donald Trump’s administration, truly cared about bringing down the cost of electricity, they would be investing in affordable clean energy instead of taking a sledgehammer to the progress our country has made. By handing out millions to the coal industry, the Trump administration is divesting from Americans’ health, from our environment, and from our path forward to a cleaner, healthier future.”

This post was originally published on Common Dreams.