WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a slate of executive orders designed to give new life to the declining coal industry in America, a move he pledged would reverse Democrats’ “war on beautiful, clean coal once for all.”
Trump signed the orders in a formal ceremony in the White House's East Room surrounded by industry leaders, coal miners sporting hard hats, members of Congress and those in his administration whose portfolios cover energy production on Tuesday.
"Today, we're taking historic action to help American workers, miners, families and consumers," Trump proclaimed.
The four separate orders leverage the president’s emergency authority in a bid to undo policies from previous administrations that he says are harming the industry, ease regulations, expedite leases and funding for coal mining projects on federal lands and streamline permitting. One order directs the Department of Justice to investigate state policies on the topic it believes could be illegal or unconstitutional.
Tuesday’s move will also allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars.
“Pound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure and powerful form of energy,” Trump said. “It’s cheap, incredibly efficient, high density, and it’s almost indestructible. You could drop a bomb on it, and it's going to be there for you to use the next day.”
Use of the durable but polluting energy source has been shrinking for years, accounting for just 16% of U.S. electricity production in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Natural gas provides about 43% of U.S. electricity, with the remainder from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.
Trump’s orders also direct Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to “acknowledge the end” of an Obama-era moratorium that paused coal leasing on federal lands and require federal agencies to rescind policies transitioning the nation away from coal production. And they seek to promote coal and coal technology exports, and accelerate development of coal technologies.
Trump, who has pushed for U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market, has long suggested that coal can help meet surging electricity demand from manufacturing and the massive data centers needed for artificial intelligence.
He pledged that Tuesday’s actions would “turbocharge” the industry in the U.S.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, meanwhile, has announced a series of actions to roll back environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants.
In all, Zeldin said he’s moving to roll back 31 environmental rules, including a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.
