After years of decline under environmental regulations, Donald Trump is making another push to resurrect America’s coal industry. His latest executive order demands federal agencies assess coal resources on public lands and produce a consolidated report within 60 days. Not wasting any time.
The administration is ending the federal coal-leasing moratorium that environmental groups fought for. They’re also fast-tracking royalty-reduction applications from coal companies. Because nothing says “America First” like giving discounts on publicly owned resources to private corporations.
Trump’s gift to coal giants: public resources at bargain prices while “America First” takes a backseat to corporate profits.
Trump’s team is using emergency authorities to prioritize coal leasing on federal lands. They’ve expanded categorical exclusions under NEPA, basically letting coal projects skip the environmental review line. Sound familiar? It should. His 2017 administration did pretty much the same thing.
The orders instruct agencies to review and potentially scrap regulations that “discourage” coal production. Translation: those pesky rules protecting air and water are on the chopping block. They’ve even invoked a two-year exemption from certain Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. Breathe deep, America.
Coal exports are getting a boost too. The administration has told finance and export agencies to stop avoiding coal projects. They want American coal heading overseas, pronto. Jobs, they say. Energy security, they claim.
In a creative twist, they’re trying to rebrand coal as a “critical material” or “critical mineral.” This classification would give coal the VIP treatment in federal procurement and permitting.
They’re also pushing coal waste recovery and reuse for things like battery components and building materials.
The administration is particularly emphasizing coal’s role in powering the growing AI data center infrastructure across the country.
The policy affirms coal as an essential component in the energy mix alongside natural gas, nuclear power, and renewables to ensure reliable electricity for Americans.
It’s basically a carbon copy of Trump’s first-term playbook. Less regulation, more extraction, faster permitting. The coal industry, left for dead by the Biden administration, is getting presidential CPR.
Whether this revival will stick or just be another temporary sugar rush for coal country remains to be seen.
References
- https://www.globalelr.com/2025/04/president-trump-issues-executive-order-and-proclamation-to-boost-coal/
- https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-promoting-energy-independence-economic-growth/
- https://www.spencerfane.com/insight/coal-development-is-driven-by-economics-not-federal-agency-actions/
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/reinvigorating-americas-beautiful-clean-coal-industry-and-amending-executive-order-14241/
- https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-domestic-supply-chain-reliance-critical-minerals-foreign-adversaries/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_executive_orders_in_the_second_Trump_presidency
- https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/regulation-database-white-house
- https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administrations-retreat-from-global-climate-leadership/
