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Released April 09, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Declaring that "pound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure, and powerful form of energy there is on earth today," President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a four-part executive order designed to promote the fuel's use in industry and in power plants. "It's cheap, incredibly efficient, high-density, and it's almost indestructible," he added.
The four documents signed on Tuesday are as follows:
First: Directs all departments and agencies of the federal government to end all discriminatory policies against the coal industry. Specifically, it ends a leasing moratorium preventing new coal projects on federal lands. It is also aimed at accelerating permitting and funding for new coal projects.
Second: Saying there are dozens of coal plants in danger of closing nationwide due to Biden administration policies, this order imposes a moratorium on those policies to protect existing coal plants from closure.
Third: Aiming to promote grid reliability, the order is designed to ensure that grid policies "are focused on secure and effective energy production and energy transmission," reversing additional Biden administration policies.
Fourth: Declaring that some states have enacted policies that discriminate against coal and other "secure sources of energy," many of which it claims are unconstitutional, the fourth order instructs the U.S. Attorney General to take action to stop the enforcement of such state laws.
According to a White House statement, the orders direct the chair of the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a mineral under Executive Order 14241, giving coal all of that order's benefits. Information surrounding Trump's previous coal orders, involving the invoking of an "energy emergency." For more information, see March 13, 2025, article - Could Coal's Comeback Be Accelerated by Trump's 'National Energy Dominance' Agenda?.
It also calls for Energy Secretary Chris Wright to determine whether coal used in steel production meets the criterion as a "critical mineral" under the Energy Act of 2020.
On coal-fired power plant closures, Trump said, "This afternoon I'm also granting immediate relief to 47 companies operating 66 coal plants" across the U.S. One such plant is the Cholla Power Plant, a facility near Joseph City, Arizona, which burned coal from a mine near Window Rock, Arizona. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
Trump maintained new technology was making coal cleaner.
Decision makers at coal mining companies and power plants may balk at the idea of starting or continuing projects costing billions of dollars and requiring years of development, as congressional majorities and administrations change. Looking to assuage those fears, Trump repeatedly insisted his orders were building in safeguards that would keep the coal protections from being overturned without "going through hell."
Should a significant number of the 66 coal plants mentioned by Trump remain in operation, it would begin to reverse a 20-year coal tailspin, in which the industry has gone from supplying 50% of grid generation to less than 20% today.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report saying that U.S. coal production (578 million short tons, or MMst) in 2023 was less than half that of the industry's peak production, reached in 2008. The EIA said, "Rising mining costs, increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and competition from other sources of electric power generation have contributed to domestic coal production declines."
The EIA report said coal production is expected to drop from 512 MMst in 2024 to 483 MMst in 2025 and 467 MMst in 2026.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The four documents signed on Tuesday are as follows:
First: Directs all departments and agencies of the federal government to end all discriminatory policies against the coal industry. Specifically, it ends a leasing moratorium preventing new coal projects on federal lands. It is also aimed at accelerating permitting and funding for new coal projects.
Second: Saying there are dozens of coal plants in danger of closing nationwide due to Biden administration policies, this order imposes a moratorium on those policies to protect existing coal plants from closure.
Third: Aiming to promote grid reliability, the order is designed to ensure that grid policies "are focused on secure and effective energy production and energy transmission," reversing additional Biden administration policies.
Fourth: Declaring that some states have enacted policies that discriminate against coal and other "secure sources of energy," many of which it claims are unconstitutional, the fourth order instructs the U.S. Attorney General to take action to stop the enforcement of such state laws.
According to a White House statement, the orders direct the chair of the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a mineral under Executive Order 14241, giving coal all of that order's benefits. Information surrounding Trump's previous coal orders, involving the invoking of an "energy emergency." For more information, see March 13, 2025, article - Could Coal's Comeback Be Accelerated by Trump's 'National Energy Dominance' Agenda?.
It also calls for Energy Secretary Chris Wright to determine whether coal used in steel production meets the criterion as a "critical mineral" under the Energy Act of 2020.
On coal-fired power plant closures, Trump said, "This afternoon I'm also granting immediate relief to 47 companies operating 66 coal plants" across the U.S. One such plant is the Cholla Power Plant, a facility near Joseph City, Arizona, which burned coal from a mine near Window Rock, Arizona. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
Trump maintained new technology was making coal cleaner.
Decision makers at coal mining companies and power plants may balk at the idea of starting or continuing projects costing billions of dollars and requiring years of development, as congressional majorities and administrations change. Looking to assuage those fears, Trump repeatedly insisted his orders were building in safeguards that would keep the coal protections from being overturned without "going through hell."
Should a significant number of the 66 coal plants mentioned by Trump remain in operation, it would begin to reverse a 20-year coal tailspin, in which the industry has gone from supplying 50% of grid generation to less than 20% today.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report saying that U.S. coal production (578 million short tons, or MMst) in 2023 was less than half that of the industry's peak production, reached in 2008. The EIA said, "Rising mining costs, increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and competition from other sources of electric power generation have contributed to domestic coal production declines."
The EIA report said coal production is expected to drop from 512 MMst in 2024 to 483 MMst in 2025 and 467 MMst in 2026.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
