type: timeline_event
President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense to prioritize long-term Power Purchase Agreements with coal-fired power plants to supply military installations and critical defense facilities. The order instructs the Secretary of Defense, coordinating with the Secretary of Energy, to approve contracts with coal generation facilities, with priority given to projects enhancing grid reliability, on-site fuel security, and mission assurance for defense and intelligence capabilities. Trump signed the order at a White House ceremony attended by Peabody Energy CEO James Grech, and was presented with a trophy inscribed "Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal" by the Washington Coal Club lobby group.
The administration frames the policy as a national security imperative, arguing that coal generation ensures military installations, command centers, and defense-industrial bases remain fully powered under all conditions including natural disasters and wartime contingencies. The order also directs the Department of Energy to issue funds to keep coal plants open in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky. The administration claims these actions have stopped the closure of 17 gigawatts of coal power and resulted in new investments in baseload power generation. The Department of Energy separately announced $175 million for projects to extend the life of coal-fired plants, and the Tennessee Valley Authority announced it would continue operating two coal plants previously marked for closure.
Environmental scientists and energy experts strongly criticized the executive order. Julie McNamara of the Union of Concerned Scientists called it a waste of time, money, and opportunity, noting cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient options exist. Matthew Davis of the League of Conservation Voters, a former EPA scientist, stated that coal power has "one of the highest costs of any energy source" and "the worst reliability record." Coal production in the U.S. has declined by more than half between 2008 and 2023 due to competition from natural gas and renewables, and today provides only around 16% of U.S. electricity.
The executive order represents a direct rejection of market forces that have been driving coal's decline for decades. Critics note the policy forces taxpayers to subsidize an uncompetitive and polluting energy source through military procurement, overriding economic efficiency in favor of political patronage to the coal industry. The order builds on Trump's earlier executive orders from April 2025 that designated coal as a mineral, lifted barriers to coal mining on federal lands, and granted regulatory relief from Biden-era restrictions on coal-fired power plants.