"WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline.
Under the orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to 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.
Trump, a Republican, has long promised to boost what he calls “beautiful” coal to fire power plants and for other uses, but the industry has been in decline for decades.
The orders direct federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands. They 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."
Matthew Daly reports for the Associated Press April 8, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"Trump Signs Orders Aimed at Reviving a Struggling Coal Industry" (New York Times)
"Trump Signs Executive Orders To Help Dying U.S. Coal Industry" (Washington Post)
"Trump To Sign Executive Orders Aimed At Reviving Coal" (E&E News)
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