Trump Is the Coal President

COAL-THE DOMINANT fuel in the U.S., before it was steadily replaced by cheaper and cleaner energy sources—has found new life under President Donald Trump. In April, Trump issued an executive order to reinvigorate “America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry,” which directed federal agencies to remove regulatory barriers to coal production and coal mining on federal lands.

- Jeff Luse

Since then, the Energy Department has opened up federal financing opportunities for coal production (which include a $200 billion fund at the agency's Loan Programs Office), designated coal as a critical material (which allows it to receive more federal funding), and reinstated a federal coal advisory committee that had lapsed.

The Interior Department, meanwhile, has fast-tracked fossil fuel and coal projects on federal lands. Earlier this year, the agency officially ended a moratorium on federal coal leasing, and in August it approved a plan that will make 14.5 million tons of coal available for mining in Wyoming through 2037. The agency has also implemented rules making it harder to permit renewable energy projects on federal lands.