David Quigley and Eduardo Canales Quoted in Latin America Advisor on Prospects for Coal

Latin America Advisor has quoted Akin Gump environment and natural resources practice head David Quigley and oil and gas associate Eduardo Canales in the Q&A feature “How Will Trump Affect the Americas’ Natural Gas Sector?” They spoke about the impact on the coal industry of an executive order by President Trump to review the Clean Power Plan and roll back Obama-era policies combatting climate change.

Asked how the action by the Trump administration might affect the coal industry, Quigley and Canales said, “The decline of the coal industry started long before any environmental regulations were imposed.” Federal environmental policy, they noted, “is just one of the many market forces shaping the supply and demand for coal, oil, natural gas and other clean energy solutions at a domestic and global level.” While inexpensive and abundant in certain regions, coal, they added, “is more expensive to transport, generates less power and produces significantly more carbon dioxide than oil and gas.”

Turning to clean energy, Quigley and Canales said, “Sources like solar and wind power have been able to drive costs down, increase reliability and become competitive, developing into a major contributor to the energy mix.” They also said that if certain critical energy infrastructure is expedited, “the landscape appears unlikely to change for coal in the long run, although it may be able to get a few extra years before that run ends.”