US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to revive the country’s shrinking coal industry, rolling back key restrictions despite the fuel’s major role in climate change and pollution.
Trump directed federal agencies to lift Obama-era limits on coal mining, leasing, and exports. He instructed the Interior Department to locate coal deposits on federal lands, remove barriers to mining, and fast-track leasing processes.
“All those plants that have been closed are going to be opened if they’re modern enough, or they’ll be ripped down and brand new ones will be built,” Trump said, surrounded by coal miners in hard hats and cap lamps at the White House. “We’re going to put the miners back to work.”
Coal companies held just 279 federal leases across nearly 422,000 acres as of 2023, a sharp drop from 489 leases covering about 730,000 acres in 1990.
Trump also ordered his newly formed National Energy Dominance Council to classify coal as a critical mineral, equating it with materials essential for defence systems and battery production. The move builds on a previous executive order allowing emergency powers and funding to boost domestic supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths.
The Department of Energy and other agencies will now examine whether more coal-fired plants can be kept online or reactivated to meet rising electricity demand. Some aging coal plants previously set for retirement may stay in operation.
This surge in power demand stems from rapid growth in data centres, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles (EVs). Trump argues coal is essential to power these technologies and to support industries like steelmaking.
Despite Trump’s long-standing pledge to bring back what he calls “beautiful” coal, the sector has been in long-term decline . US coal production has fallen dramatically in recent years, outpaced by cheaper natural gas and increasingly affordable renewable energy.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to revive the country’s shrinking coal industry, rolling back key restrictions despite the fuel’s major role in climate change and pollution.
Trump directed federal agencies to lift Obama-era limits on coal mining, leasing, and exports. He instructed the Interior Department to locate coal deposits on federal lands, remove barriers to mining, and fast-track leasing processes.
“All those plants that have been closed are going to be opened if they’re modern enough, or they’ll be ripped down and brand new ones will be built,” Trump said, surrounded by coal miners in hard hats and cap lamps at the White House. “We’re going to put the miners back to work.”
Coal companies held just 279 federal leases across nearly 422,000 acres as of 2023, a sharp drop from 489 leases covering about 730,000 acres in 1990.
Trump also ordered his newly formed National Energy Dominance Council to classify coal as a critical mineral, equating it with materials essential for defence systems and battery production. The move builds on a previous executive order allowing emergency powers and funding to boost domestic supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths.
The Department of Energy and other agencies will now examine whether more coal-fired plants can be kept online or reactivated to meet rising electricity demand. Some aging coal plants previously set for retirement may stay in operation.
This surge in power demand stems from rapid growth in data centres, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles (EVs). Trump argues coal is essential to power these technologies and to support industries like steelmaking.
Despite Trump’s long-standing pledge to bring back what he calls “beautiful” coal, the sector has been in long-term decline . US coal production has fallen dramatically in recent years, outpaced by cheaper natural gas and increasingly affordable renewable energy.
