Trump Set To Sign Exec Order Boosting Domestic Coal To Meet AI Power Demands

Former President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order Tuesday to boost domestic coal production and use, aiming to power energy-intensive data centers and revive the shrinking U.S. coal industry, according to Mining.com and Bloomberg. 

According to a senior White House official, the order will restart coal leasing on federal land, label coal a "critical mineral," and fast-track coal exports and related technologies. “The U.S. is back in the business of selling coal,” the official said.

The report said it remains uncertain whether the move will reverse coal’s decline, driven by cheaper natural gas, renewables, and environmental regulations. Tech firms prioritizing clean energy may resist switching to coal.

Still, the administration frames the effort as a national security issue, linking coal-powered data centers to America’s edge in artificial intelligence. “The U.S. is way ahead right now in the AI race with China,” Trump said Monday, emphasizing the need for reliable electricity to stay ahead.

Trump, who campaigned on reviving coal in both 2016 and 2024, is also considering emergency measures to reopen closed coal plants and block future closures. He’ll sign the order at 3 p.m. in the White House East Room, joined by mining executives from Peabody Energy, Core Natural Resources, and Ramaco Resources.

Trump has long argued that previous administrations “waged war on coal” through burdensome regulations and leasing restrictions. His new executive order aims to reverse that by ending the leasing moratorium started under Obama, directing the Interior Department to expand coal leasing on federal lands, and instructing agencies to remove policies that discourage coal use. T

he order also pushes to designate coal a “critical mineral,” elevating its strategic importance alongside materials vital for defense and batteries. Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will oversee efforts to prioritize coal in both power generation and steelmaking.

The shift could spur coal companies to reclaim territory lost over decades—federal coal leases have dropped from 489 in 1990 to just 279 in 2023. Today, coal supplies about 15% of U.S. electricity, down from over 50% in 2000, as hundreds of plants have shut down.

Trump’s EPA is rolling back regulations on mercury and carbon emissions, while his administration seeks to boost coal exports and coal-tech abroad. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum calls coal “affordable and reliable,” crucial for surging power needs from data centers and electrification. Still, critics warn that true energy security requires a broader mix, especially as components for fossil-fuel infrastructure grow harder to source.

The administration is also pro-nuclear. As Mario Nawfal writes on X: "U.S. uranium production surged to its highest level since 2018, driven by rising prices and renewed federal support. Q4 output alone exceeded the total annual production of any year from 2019 to 2023."

He writes: "Most of the increase came from facilities in Texas, Wyoming, and Utah’s White Mesa Mill — the only operational uranium mill in the country."'

RealClearEnergy added last month: "There is no imminent replacement for fossil fuels in the production of petrochemical products, but for electricity needs, America stands on the brink of a nuclear energy revolution. Advanced nuclear technology and small modular reactors (SMRs) are proving to be game changers."

And they noted, prior to the 'tariff tantrum', that nuclear could be part of an America-first agenda: "Nuclear needs American raw materials and an American workforce. Nuclear expansion, along with President Trump’s call to reopen natural gas and clean coal plants, will bring electricity costs back down to inexpensive levels after four years of disastrous Biden energy policies."

Finally, of note as the Epoch Times wrote last month, after taking office on Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to review existing regulations that restricted the use of domestic energy resources—particularly coal, hydropower, and nuclear energy resources—and declared a national energy emergency to expedite the development of the nation’s energy infrastructure.

Trump stated in his order that “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens.”

To fulfill Trump’s objectives, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin said on March 12 that the agency would take steps to roll back several environmental regulations in what he called the “largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history.”