CV NEWS FEED // President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at reviving the US coal industry, framing it as a move toward energy independence and economic strength.
“Today, we’re taking historic action to help American workers, miners, families, and consumers,” Trump said while addressing a group of coal workers. “We’re ending Joe Biden’s war on beautiful, clean coal once and for all… we’re going to put the miners back to work.”
The order reclassifies coal as a “mineral” under federal law, opening the door to new protections and support. It also lifts a federal pause on coal leasing, boosts funding for coal technology development, and orders a review of steelmaking coal as a critical material.
“We will develop the liquid gold that is right under our feet, including American oil and natural gas,” Trump said in a White House fact sheet, “and we will also embrace nuclear, clean coal, hydropower, which is fantastic, and every other form of affordable energy to get it done.”
The move is the latest in a series of energy-focused initiatives from Trump, who has previously withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, terminated the Green New Deal, declared a national energy emergency, and slashed red tape to speed up permitting processes.
Critics, particularly environmentalists, are expected to push back against the order, but administration officials insist the plan will deliver lower energy costs, reduce foreign dependence, and bring back high-paying mining jobs.
Shortly after the announcement, the US Department of Energy unveiled a slate of accompanying actions under the banner of “unleashing American coal production.”
The measures include: reinstating the National Coal Council to provide policy guidance, proposing steelmaking as a federally recognized material, allocating $200 billion to support electricity infrastructure, and supporting the commercialization of coal technology.
Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are expected to announce actions supporting the executive order.
“The Golden Age is here,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to Fox News. “Interior is unlocking America’s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America’s natural resources and innovation.”
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