Coal-fired power is on the rise in America for the first time since 2014

In a blow to the climate movement, US power companies are ramping up their coal consumption due to surging natural gas prices.

US coal-fired generation is expected to surge by 22% in 2021, the US Energy Information Administration said Monday. That would mark the first annual increase in coal-fired electric power generation since 2014, the EIA said.

Coal was long the main fuel source for the US power grid — even though its environmental footprint is the largest.