“We’re gonna be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it’s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years,” Trump said. “More coal means lower costs and more money in the pocket of American citizens.”

Trump was joined by Cabinet members, including Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, as well as a number of coal executives, miners, Republican members of Congress, and energy industry leaders. 

The order underscores the administration’s efforts to revive the aging coal industry, which it refers to as “beautiful, clean coal.” 

Trump also announced on Wednesday that the Department of Energy would be awarding funds to five coal plants in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky to maintain and upgrade their facilities. 

Additionally, Trump revealed that he was bringing U.S. coal mines “roaring back to life,” and that the administration had approved over 70 permits for “very big, very powerful mines.”

Trump was praised for his efforts to support the coal industry and was awarded the Washington Coal Club’s first-ever “Undisputed Champion on Coal” award. 

“Thanks to your leadership, sir, we are working with your administration on the potential to build new coal fuel power plants and having coal emerge as a source of rare earth elements and critical minerals that are essential for our national security and economic future,” Jim Grech, chairman of the National Coal Council, said.

Environmentalists and climate advocates lambasted the move ahead of the event. Ted Kelly, the Environmental Defense Fund’s director and lead counsel on clean energy, called it an “absurd misuse of public funds” that will cause increased air pollution and higher electricity bills. 

“These actions show you exactly where the administration’s priorities are. They are focused on the coal industry’s profits, not the costs to American families and businesses,” he said. 

Kelly pointed to an independent analysis conducted by Grid Strategies that found that the continued operation of coal plants scheduled to retire could cost consumers more than $3 billion a year. 

Trump attempted to revitalize the industry during his first administration, arguing that it is worth paying more to keep coal power plants online because the facilities are highly reliable and can provide power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

At the time, Trump promised to bring back mining jobs, slash environmental regulations from the previous Obama administration, and provide federal financial backing to power plants at risk of shutting down. 

His efforts to support the industry failed, as costs for coal power steadily rose and cleaner alternatives such as natural gas became cheaper. 

Trump relaunched his effort to boost the coal industry last April, signing an executive order authorizing the administration to produce energy with coal and prioritize its growth. 

The order created the National Energy Dominance Council and directed it to designate coal as a “mineral.” It also directed relevant agencies to prioritize leasing for coal mining on federal lands. He also moved to end Obama-era moratoriums on coal leasing and to remove environmental reviews for coal-related projects. 

Over the last year, administration officials have also sought to prevent the closure of aging coal plants. In December 2025, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the administration prevented the closure of more than 15 gigawatts of energy capacity. One gigawatt is roughly equivalent to the amount of electricity needed to power approximately 750,000 homes.

A recent report from Energy Ventures Analysis claimed that keeping this generation online resulted in higher coal use last year than in 2024 and prevented consumers from being hit by $30 billion to $40 billion in additional costs.

While the administration has said this effort has also helped prevent blackouts during times of peak demand, such as during the sweeping winter storm that hit the South and East Coast last month, officials have faced pushback from utilities. 

Earlier this month, cooperative utilities Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and Platte River Authority filed a petition with the Energy Department to reconsider its emergency order demanding that the Craig Generation Station’s Unit 1 in Colorado remain operational through the end of March. 

TRUMP TO ROLL BACK CLIMATE RULE THIS WEEK IN ‘LARGEST ACT OF DEREGULATION’

The utilities warned that the high costs associated with keeping the plant open could be borne by customers. Analysts previously estimated that keeping the coal-powered unit open for 90 additional days would cost at least $20 million, with costs soaring to as much as $150 million if its life is extended by one year.

Wright dismissed the pushback last week, telling reporters that “far larger costs come from blackouts.”